


Under Unbroken Skies (at Least for Now)

by Anonymous



Series: Those Who Challenge the Stars [1]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: DadSchlatt, Eret and Toby Smith | Tubbo are Siblings, Gen, Gravity Falls AU, GrunkleSchlatt, Nonhuman Dream, Petty Rivalries, Slowburn Found Family, Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit Friendship, UncleSchlatt?, found family shenanigans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:21:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28230816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: When Tubbo's older sibling goes missing, and he's sent to live with his strange and definitely criminal uncle in a strange backwoods town called L'Manberg, he's not sure what to expect. Genuine friendships, illegal dealings, supernatural shenanigans, and a dream demon hellbent on bringing forth the apocalypse certainly wasn't what he had in mind.-Or: the Gravity Falls au no one asked for but are receiving anyways.
Relationships: Eret & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Jschlatt & Toby Smith | Tubbo, No Romantic Relationship(s), Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, Toby Smith | Tubbo & Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson, Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit
Series: Those Who Challenge the Stars [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2167077
Comments: 468
Kudos: 1045
Collections: Anonymous





	1. Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tubbo arrives in Gravity Falls, and meets the man who he'll be staying with. They're not off to the best start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, welcome to this Gravity Falls au! I'll admit that I've had a bit of an idea going around in my head for this for a while now, so it's nice to finally write it out. It should be noted, of course, that while it's based on the show, obviously, it won't be chapter for episode closeness. Plenty of things are going to be different. With that said, I hope you enjoy!

L’Manberg is an… interesting town. To say the least. 

It seems relatively normal, when Tubbo first arrives. It’s pretty quaint, but there’s shops, and games, and a nice woodland feel to it. He’s not sure about the weird van just outside of town, but it seems to be there for a reason. 

Really, it’s less that the town stands out, and more that it’s residents do. Tubbo’s had to stop counting how many hybrids he’s seen since the car started pulling through the main streets. 

“It’s well known in the hybrid community as a place where they can live without discrimination,” his social worker (Charlie, he thinks) explains. “Your uncle probably chose it for that specific reason as well. I think you’ll like it here.”

“You think so?” He knows what Charlie is implying. Tubbo’s technically a ram hybrid, after all, just like his uncle. Except that he doesn’t have any horns, or ram ears or eyes. When he was younger, after he’d found out what he was through the miracle of DNA testing, he’d waited excitedly for the day his horns would come in. 

They never did. Apparently Tubbo’s taken after his human parent completely, at least appearance-wise. And while that meant he could pass off as a human for those who didn’t know, and not be subjected to some of the worst parts of being a hybrid, it was also a bit of a letdown. And it wasn’t like any of the kids and adults who knew he was a hybrid ever let him forget it. 

At least, until Eret. 

Tubbo plays with the small yellow crown keychain in his pocket, and tries not to think about them too hard. 

Eventually, after a few more minutes of driving outside of the town proper, they reach their destination. 

It’s a cottage-like building, with the words ‘MYSTERY HACK’ standing out on the large sign resting on the roof. Tubbo’s pretty sure there used to be an ‘S’ in front of the second word, but he also remembers what Charlie’s told him about his uncle, and suspects that this is more accurate. 

Tubbo steps out of the car and takes in the scene, while Charlie grabs his suitcase. “It’s small, I know,” he says, handing Tubbo his bags. Tubbo accepts them gratefully.

“It’s not so bad.” He’s used to small, anyways. After all, in the years he spent with Eret, they’d never really had that much in the way of money. Eret had always seemed bothered by it, apologizing more than once about how they couldn’t provide Tubbo with any luxuries, but Tubbo had never minded. It was a million times better than his life before Eret, after all. 

Charlie gives him a grateful smile, and Tubbo tries to return it, mostly succeeding. He really is thankful to the man, who has gone out of his way to help Tubbo where most adults wouldn’t bother. Tubbo knows it’s because he was old friends with Tubbo’s uncle, the one he’s going to live with, but he’s grateful anyways. Together, they head inside the Mystery Hack. 

In the front is a gift shop, where a few people seem to be browsing, but most have already left for the day, after going through the museum Tubbo knows is right next to the shop. And the only ones that stand out are the people who are obviously workers. An older boy, maybe in his late teens, with puffy wings, dark hair, and a beanie, sits at the cash register with his feet on the desk, reading a magazine. Another boy, slightly younger, with bright red hair and fox ears, is chatting up a customer. In the back, a young woman is fixing a lightbulb. 

Charlie directs him towards the woman, who looks up and smiles at him. “Oh, Charlie! Long time no see. And…” She looks down at Tubbo curiously. 

“Hey Niki. This is Tubbo, Schlatt’s nephew. He’s going to be living here from now on.” Niki’s eyes widen with recognition; clearly she’s been told about him. Tubbo gives her a cautious wave, and she waves back. “I don’t suppose you know where Schlatt is?” 

Niki lets out a small sigh, her face falling. “He’s in the house. Pretty much no customer’s left, and Fundy’s taking care of the last few, so, you know.” Charlie makes a face, and now Tubbo’s even more nervous. 

“Is everything alright?” he ventures to ask. 

Charlie smiles at him, but it’s clearly forced. “Of course! I’ll just hand you over, and you can start getting situated.” Not reassured in the slightest, Tubbo follows him through another door in the back of the shop. He can feel Niki’s eyes on him, can visualize her worried expression. 

The inside is homely, at least. Comfortable chairs and carpeting, a cushy sofa, a really boxy TV set. The man who must be Tubbo’s uncle is sitting on the couch, drinking a beer, and watching some boxing program. There are several other beers beside him. 

Charlie clears his throat. “Schlatt. Tubbo’s here.” 

Schlatt looks up at him, with sideways pupils and large horns, and Tubbo absentmindedly wonders if he’s searching for those same features on Tubbo, to see if they’re actually related. After a minute, though, he just says. “Thanks. I’ll get him settled. You got your stuff, kid?” 

Tubbo nods, showing his suitcase. Charlie gives him one last smile and pat on the shoulder, turns to Schlatt and says “Be nice, Jay,” and walks out, leaving Tubbo alone with his uncle.

As soon as the door is closed, Schlatt rubs his forehead. “Fucking fantastic. A fucking baby to take care of, just what I wanted.”

Tubbo bristles. “I’m thirteen, actually.” 

“Thirteen, _right_ , right. You’re a child. A baby, an infant. You barely even look ten. Who fed you? They obviously did a piss-poor job.”

“They did the best they could,” Tubbo snaps back, thinking of Eret, and the worry that always covered their face when they looked at the monthly budget. “Are you going to do better, since you’re asking?” 

Schlatt looks down at him for a moment more, almost surprised. Then he grins. “Obviously. What kind of businessman would I be if I didn’t have enough to throw away on some brat? Your uncle’s got you covered. Come on.” And with that, he takes Tubbo up a couple flights of stairs, into the attic, where a bed has already been set up. “This is your new room. Make yourself at home. Or don’t, if you’re feeling like being a contrarian.” And he walks out, just like that, leaving Tubbo alone in his new room. 

_It’s big_ , he thinks absentmindedly, _for an attic_. Definitely bigger than his old room. He could probably fit an entire second bed in here if he really wanted. He can set up his computers and little redstone inventions with no problem. 

On any other occasion, he’d be really happy with this place, be so excited to have a cool room like this. Attic rooms just have a special charm to them, after all. 

But, the only reason he’s here at all is because Eret is missing. And Tubbo would rather have his tiny bedroom in his tiny house if it meant his adopted sibling could come back to him. 

He almost doesn’t want to unpack, because that would mean that this is real, and that Eret is gone.

 _No, not gone_ , Tubbo reminds himself. _Missing, not gone. It’s not a betrayal if I live here until they’re found. And they’re going to be found._

With that, he gets to unpacking.

* * *

When he’s finally done unpacking, it’s around dinnertime. Tubbo heads downstairs to find a suspiciously quiet house. He searches the rooms, even goes into the shop, but there’s no sign of his uncle.

Eventually, he finds the kitchen, where there’s a note on the table.

_“Brat,_

_If you’re reading this, I’m out. We’re out of beer, and part of the deal is that I can’t smoke cigs. at the Shack when you’re there, so I’ll be out for a while. There’s plenty of food in the fridge. Make yourself a sandwich, or whatever.”_

Tubbo stares blankly at the note. 

He couldn’t even be bothered to stick around for Tubbo’s first night at the shack. Tears burn behind his eyes, but he refuses to let them fall. 

Like he told Schlatt, he’s thirteen. He’s a teenager now, not a crybaby little kid. It was obvious that his uncle didn’t really care about him. He’s not even really that surprised. 

The silence in the house is deafening. Tubbo makes himself a sandwich, then messes with the TV until something comes on, so there will at least be a little bit of noise. 

He’d never really had any friends, before. He wasn’t human enough for the human kids, and wasn’t hybrid enough for the hybrid kids, and so he was left out of everything. This means that at least he’s used to being alone. 

But he’d had Eret. At least he’d had his sibling, and things were never quiet at the house. At least he could go home to warm conversations and jokes and snuggling up with a blanket while reading. 

At least he’d had that. 

Schlatt still isn’t back when it’s around ten at night, and so Tubbo turns off the TV and goes up to his attic room. The openness of it almost chokes him up as he takes it in for a second time, because it’s so empty. 

Just like the rest of this house. 

So until… until Eret comes back, Tubbo’s going to have to fill it up with things. Posters, maybe? He’s got his bee figurine collection, the one Eret added to every year on his birthday. There’s plenty of space for him to put that. And his Redstone projects can have an entire corner to themselves. 

He spends an hour doing that, until there’s nothing more to rearrange, and Schlatt still isn’t back. At this point, Tubbo collapses on top of his bed and tries not to think.

(It doesn’t work.)

* * *

_Tubbo follows Eret curiously around the house - his new home. It’s small, a lot smaller than the foster home he’d been in before, but it seems cozy. Like whoever lives here really cares about the place._

_Eret squeezes his hand, and Tubbo looks up. His new sibling looks a little worried. “I know it’s small,” they start. “And I don’t really have the means to improve that. “But I promise you’ll always have enough, and you’ll always be loved. I wish I could do more-”_

_Tubbo hugs them tightly. “It’s enough,” he promises. “It’s really nice. Thank you!”_

_Eret pulls him into a hug, and Tubbo knows enough about people by the age of eight to know that he should pretend not to notice they’re crying._

_“Of course,” they say. “Always.”_

* * *

Tubbo listens for the door, but no one enters. He holds the little crown keychain, the one Eret had on the phone they were so proud to be able to afford, and can’t control the tears anymore. 

He finally falls into a fitful sleep, not even bothering to get under the blankets.

* * *

(When Tubbo wakes up, he’s still in the clothes he wore yesterday, but he’s been tucked rather nicely under the covers. They have breakfast together, even if “conversation” is mostly Schlatt complaining about “some idiot he scam- did business with”. His uncle doesn’t bring it up, so Tubbo doesn’t either.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: Tubbo meets the rest of the Mystery Hacks, and Schlatt gets a new nickname.


	2. Arrival 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tubbo meets the rest of the Mystery Hacks and learns of Schlatt's rival. Schlatt gets a new nickname.

Schlatt puts him to work the next day. 

“You may be Puffy’s kid, but while you’re staying here, you’ve gotta earn your keep,” he tells Tubbo, as the customers start to come in. “And you can begin by doing some tidying up.” 

This is the first time Tubbo’s heard his mom’s name since he can remember. It seems like it should be a momentous occasion, but Schlatt isn’t treating it like that, so he files it away to reexamine later. “Do I get paid for this?” He wonders.

Schlatt laughs and hands him a broom. Tubbo takes that as a no. 

The same three employee’s from yesterday are here again today, Niki and the two boys. Niki notices him first, and heads over, toolbelt jingling around her waist. “Tubbo, right? It’s nice to see you again. How was your first night in L’Manberg?”

“...Lonely,” Tubbo admits. Niki seems nice, but he doesn’t really feel like sugarcoating his uncle’s absence at the moment. “But I guess it could be worse.”

Her face falls. “I’m sorry about that. Schlatt is - well. I know he can be difficult to deal with at times. If you want, I can talk to him.”

Tubbo blinks, surprised. “Really? Would he listen?” And why would Niki offer in the first place? This is only their second time meeting, after all.

“Well, I could try, at least.” She lets out a little laugh. “I’ve worked here the longest, after all. Quackity’s worked here about a year or so, and Fundy’s just here for the summer.” 

“And I’m still the favorite,” the winged guy snarks as he passes them. Niki elbows him gently, at which he grins at her. “What? It’s true. We both know I’ve got a real talent for what he does.” 

“Business?” Tubbo guesses.

“Scamming and conning,” the guy agrees. “Which is basically business, but without the steps where you convince yourself you’re a good person.” He then does a double-take and turns to his coworker. “Niki, who’s the kid?”

“Oh, right.” She puts a hand on Tubbo’s shoulder, as though for extra comfort. Tubbo appreciates the thought. “Quackity, this is Schlatt’s nephew, Tubbo. He’s going to be staying here from now on.”

“Just for a little while, actually,” Tubbo corrects. “Just until my older sibling is found. Then I’ll go back to staying with them.” 

Niki manages not to look too surprised. Quackity has no such filter.

“Schlatt has a _family_? You’re saying he didn’t just spawn up from hell somewhere?” Niki smacks him lightly, and Tubbo lets out an involuntary giggle, and Quackity grins at him. Belatedly, Tubbo wonders if the joke was for his benefit. 

“Oy! I hear the sounds of lollygagging! We’ve got tourists incoming, back to work!” His uncle calls out. Quackity winks at them, does a little two-fingered salute thing, and heads back to the register. 

Niki guides him over to where he’s supposed to be cleaning, and Tubbo can’t help but ask: “If Schlatt likes Quackity because he’s good at conning people, then how come you’ve stayed so long?” Maybe he’s getting the wrong impression, but Niki doesn’t seem like that kind of person.

Niki’s eyes sparkle as she leans in close. “I’m here because I’m good at looking innocent and I’ve got the bail money. It’s what gives me so much sway.”

Tubbo nods with understanding. “Oh, that makes a lot of sense.”

* * *

He sees the last employee, Fundy, around the shack, but doesn’t talk to him until later in the afternoon. They’re watching the last customers go out the door when two men in police uniforms walk up and ask to search the place. 

Schlatt spreads his arms out wide. “Go right ahead. I’ve got nothing to hide, just like the last fifteen times you’ve come.”

“Then why do we keep getting tip-offs to your place?” One of them mutters under their breath as they pass Tubbo, who frowns slightly. 

It’s obvious that his uncle is running some sort of con. Everyone here has been pretty open about that. But at the same time, it does seem a little weird that the police have gotten that many calls about Schlatt, especially if he’s so good at hiding it that they never find anything. 

“Maybe you should check the caller instead of running after what looks like a dud again and again?” He offers. The officer who spoke turns to look at him, surprised. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see his uncle’s approving look, which doesn’t actually install any confidence in him, if Tubbo’s being honest. 

He can also see Fundy hiding a massive toothy grin behind his hand, as if Tubbo had just said the funniest thing in the world. 

The cops find nothing, and leave looking rather irritated. Schlatt watches them go with no small amount of satisfaction, and Quackity swings an arm around Tubbo. “Nice thinking. Will’s gonna be so pissed.” 

“Will?” Tubbo asks. He’s pretty sure he doesn’t know of anyone with that name, at least in L’Manberg.

“Wilbur,” Fundy clarifies, still grinning. “The one who keeps calling the police on Schlatt. The two of them hate each other with a serious passion.”

“Really?” Tubbo’s… not totally surprised. His uncle seems like the type to make enemies easily. It’s actually more surprising that Quackity and Fundy don’t seem bothered by it. 

“Oh yeah.” Fundy spreads his arms out dramatically. “Why do you think I’m working here for the summer?”

Quackity snorts. “Kid doesn’t know about your family issues yet, Funds. Give him a few days.” 

“Why only a few days?” 

“Because he’s so shit at hiding them that he took this job specifically to piss his older brother off,” Quackity says sagely, and Fundy flips him the bird. 

Tubbo frowns. “Does that mean I just sent the police to your house?” He has no idea who this Wilbur guy is outside of what he’s just learned, but Fundy seems nice enough. He hopes he didn’t mess things up for the guy. 

“Oh, it’s alright.” Fundy waves him off. “The police are terrified of our house anyways. Them coming would be more entertaining than anything.” 

At this point, Tubbo’s pretty sure he’s just lost on what's going on. Quackity must notice, because he pats him on the back sympathetically. 

“You’ll get the hang of it.” He leans closer, voice filled with a conspiratorial inflection, although he’s probably speaking even louder than he was before. “And don’t worry about Schlatt. I know he seems like a huge dick, but he’s mostly just grumpy. He’s just your grumpy uncle. A Grunkle, if you will.”

Schlatt, who’s entering the store again with Niki after making sure the cops are really gone, does a double take and spits out his beer. 

“Grunkle, huh?” Tubbo muses over the funny word choice, and decides he likes it. “Grunkle Schlatt. Sounds good.” Fundy starts cackling. 

“What the fuck,” _Grunkle Schlatt_ manages to say, hacking on the beer he spit up, “does that even fucking mean.”

Niki pats him on the back with a commiserating smile that holds too much mischief to be completely genuine. “Aw, Mr. Schlatt, I think it sounds rather nice. Isn’t family bonding via nicknames so sweet? See, you’re growing on him already.” 

“I’d fire all of you if I could,” Schlatt scowls, as Fundy and Quackity howl with laughter. 

And, Tubbo thinks, if he gets to spend most of his time in L’Manberg around people like his grunkle’s employees, his stay at the shack might not be so bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Puffy is Tubbo's bio mom in this au. She put him in the system because she couldn't take care of a child, and she didn't want her brother touching said child with a nine-foot poll. Too bad that didn't work out so well, huh?
> 
> Next Up: Tubbo finds a strange book, and meets a new (and very important) friend.


	3. Arrival 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tubbo finds a strange book, and meets a new friend. The importance of those two things are not in order.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll probably go back in edit this chapter later. I think it's alright for now though. Hope you enjoy!

It’s about a week later when Tubbo makes the first real friend his age he’s ever had, although the circumstances are more than a little strange. 

He’s gotten semi-used to his grunkle’s criminal ways at this point. It’s more than a little obvious that Schlatt is running a con, but the tourists he gets are so gullible they fall for it anyways. And the one’s with a little more smarts are easily charmed when his grunkle notices and actually puts effort into swindling them. 

And Tubbo goes along with it, because while he knows pretty much everything Schlatt does is illegal (the less that can be said about the time when he taught Tubbo how to make fake money and checks, the better, although admittedly it turns out running from the cops is in fact a decent way to bond) he does need a place to stay until Eret is found, and this is the only place he’s got. 

And so when Grunkle Schlatt tells him to hang up some signs in the spooky part of the forest, Tubbo agrees. 

It’s a nice day outside, with tiny fluffs of white dotting the otherwise unbroken blue, so going into the forest isn’t as nerve wracking as it must be on a more cloudy day. Still, Tubbo tries to stay cautious as he goes from tree to tree, nailing in signs. 

And then he puts a nail to a tree and a hammer to the nail, and the sound that results is a loud metallic clang. 

Curious, and somewhat excited, Tubbo raps the tree with the hammer again. More clangs. Clearly at least part of the plant is metal. He feels around a bit, and his fingers find a small crack in the “wood”. Tubbo pulls on it, and a small panel swings open to show a strange box with several levers. 

Tubbo examines the box, and he’s pretty sure he can see several lines of Redstone running through it, which is especially interesting, because Redstone isn’t something that’s very commonly used. He flips both of the switches.

Something shifts behind him, and Tubbo turns to see that a small hole in the ground has opened up. He walks over and peers in.

There’s a book inside, one that’s been there for at least a couple years, considering the dust. On the top is a strange symbol, expertly made. He blows the dust off the top and notes the number ‘3’ written on it. Unable to help himself, he opens it. 

_“It’s hard to believe it’s been six years since we moved to L'Manberg…”_

* * *

After finding the strange book filled with tales of the supernatural, Tubbo can’t just go back to the shack. Instead, he looks at the carefully drawn maps and descriptions of different creatures, and decides that he has to see if it’s real for himself. 

It’s weird, heading deeper into the forest than he’s gone so far. Grunkle Schlatt may have called the area where Tubbo hung up signs the “spooky part”, but really, the forest seems like it can get a lot spookier. 

Still, Tubbo’s got his eye out for any of the strange creatures the book mentioned, and so when he hears someone screeching, followed by the sounds of many tiny voices, he decides to follow the noise. 

He darts through the trees, dives under a few strange pathways in the rocks, and finds himself in a clearing, where a boy his age with blond hair and a messy outfit (and devil’s horns, Tubbo notes, almost enviously,) is fighting a massive amount of gnomes. They claw at his clothes and scratch at his head, and although the other boy is putting up an impressive fight, he’s clearly being overwhelmed. 

So, seeing this, Tubbo does the rational thing and runs in. He uses the book as a makeshift weapon, smacking gnomes off the boy, and then as soon as he’s clear, grabs him and runs. 

“Wha - hey! I had them!” The kid yells, as Tubbo pulls him along. 

“Not really. You look like you just picked a fight with a large number of racoons.” Tubbo squints at the forest in front of him, trying to remember the exact path he took to get here. “Also you were losing.”

“Fuck off! No I wasn’t! Did you see how tiny those little creeps were? I totally had them.” They stop to take a breath, and Tubbo lets go of the other boy. There’s a moment where they just breathe.

And then the ground starts shaking, with massive footsteps too big to be anything natural. He glances at the other boy, but he seems just as clueless. Tubbo looks behind him. 

It’s massive, and red, and far bigger than the treetops. A nightmarish creature bearing down on them with obvious purpose in its giant steps. 

It’s also made up entirely of gnomes. 

“Did you know they could do that?” Tubbo asks. He should probably be running right now, but he’s still in a bit of shock. 

“No _fucking way_. Fuck, fuck this shit, let’s run!” And then Tubbo is the one being pulled along as the monster comes closer and closer. 

They’re too small to outrun it for long. There has to be a better way to go about this. Tubbo turns to the other boy. “Something that big made up of a lot of little things might not be entirely coordinated, right? Is there anywhere close we can trip it up so it’ll fall apart?”

The boy grins. “Lake’s not too far from here. If we run like hell, we can make it.” He pauses, then offers Tubbo a smile. “I’m Tommy.”

Tubbo smiles back. “Tubbo.” 

It’s really close. They almost die several times. At one point the gnomes pick up an entire tree and hurls it at them. But they do make it to the lake, and Tubbo sets the book down before running out onto the dock. 

“You have a plan?” Tommy asks, as the giant gnome monster bares down on them. 

“Sort of. Just jump in when I tell you to, okay? And then swim sideways as fast as possible.” Tubbo backs up to the end of the dock, and Tommy does the same after a moment. 

“If we die, it’s totally your fault,” he tells Tubbo, and Tubbo chuckles in spite of himself. 

The gnome monster comes barreling towards them, and Tubbo tries to stay his breath. _Closer, closer_. He can see Tommy bouncing restlessly next to him. 

The monster, about three feet away, reaches out towards them, leaning way off it’s equilibrium… “Now!” Tubbo jumps back, pulling Tommy with him. He immediately starts paddling to the left, and Tommy quickly overtakes him. 

They come up for breath in time to see the collection of gnomes toppling into the water, landing away from each other, and in seconds, the entire section of the lake is filled with wet, panicked, gnomes, splashing around with their tiny hands and feet. 

Tommy laughs at the strange sight. “Oh that’s just fantastic. Come on, let’s get out before they find us.” He swims towards shore, and Tubbo follows him, the two of them pulling themselves onto the grass. Tommy offers his hand, and Tubbo lets him help him up. 

For a moment, they just look out on the lake filled with slowly scattering gnomes. None of the little creatures seem inclined to come their way, and Tubbo lets out a breath of relief. “I think we’re in the clear.” Another breath, and he walks over to where he dropped the book. 

“That was super pog,” Tommy says, easily keeping up with him. “And smart plan, I guess. Good thing I was there to help you pull it off.” 

Tubbo rolls his eyes, picking his book off the ground. “Sure thing.” He dusts it off. It’s perfectly fine. He doesn’t think any gnomes trampled on it. After flipping through the pages, he’s sure it’s all good. 

Tommy looks over his shoulder, curious. “Hey, what is that thing?” 

“Hmm?” Tubbo holds up the cover for him to see. “It’s a strange book I found while hanging up signs in the woods…” 

_Oh shit_. Tubbo winces.

“...I gotta get back. Schlatt’s gonna be pissed I was out for so long. I mean, normally he wouldn’t, but I’m kinda supposed to be working right now.” 

Tommy frowns, recognition flashing across his face. “Schlatt? Like the guy who owns what Wilbur calls the “scam shed”? The guy Fundy works for?”

“That’s him. He’s my uncle.” At some point, they’ve started walking back towards the edge of the woods. “You know him? And Fundy?”

Tommy nods. “Yeah, obviously. Fundy’s my older brother. Same with Wilbur and Techno. They never mentioned that Wilbur’s big rival had a nephew though.” 

This, Tubbo thinks, remembering his brief talk with the police a week ago, is a bit awkward. “Um, yeah. I just moved in with him. Not forever, just until my older sibling is found.” He pauses. “Also, I may have sent the police to your house? Sorry about that.” 

“That was you?” The surprise only lasts for a moment before Tommy waves it off with a grin. “Yeah that was nothing. Those guys are terrified of Techno, they took like one look at him and ran off. It was super funny.” 

Then he stops talking. Stops in his tracks. Looks at Tubbo. “You have a missing sibling?” 

Tubbo’s breath catches in his throat. “Y-Yeah. Their name’s Eret. They… they disappeared about a month ago.” 

“Oh.” Tommy looks disappointed, and resumes walking. Tubbo has to jog to catch up to him. “It’s probably not related then.” 

“Wait, what? What’s not related?” Tommy doesn’t answer. “Tommy, what’s not related?” For the first time since the police confirmed Eret was missing, he feels what might be a spark of hope. 

Tommy shrugs, a bit uncomfortable. “We’re missing a family member too. But they disappeared three years ago, so it’s probably not related.” 

“Oh.” And just like that, the crushing disappointment is back. But that’s not Tommy’s fault, so Tubbo refuses to let it show. “Yeah. I’m sorry about that.” 

“It’s fine,” Tommy says, with clearly false bravado. “We’ll get him back. There’s no way he’s gone for good. Nothing can keep the guy down!” But his eyes are sad, and Tubbo hopes for Tommy and Fundy’s sake that his words are true.

They reach the edge of the woods, right next to the shack, and Grunkle Schlatt is waiting on the porch for him. “Hey! What took you so long? You Were just supposed to hang up signs!” 

“Sorry!” Tubbo calls back. He turns to Tommy with a sheepish smile. “Looks like I’ve gotta go.” 

“No problem. It was fun, outrunning gnomes with you. We can always hang out again, if you’re that clingy.” Tommy holds out his hand for a fistbump, and Tubbo immediately returns it. “Oh, and call the police on us again, if you can. That was a lot of fun.”

Tubbo snorts. “Fine, if you say so.” And he waves at Tommy as he heads inside, and Tommy waves back before heading elsewhere, and Tubbo wonders if he’s just made his first real friend today.

( _He has, of course. In fact, he’s made his first best friend. But he doesn’t know that yet._ )

( _That’s knowledge for a later date_.)

* * *

“So you met the Craft boy,” Grunkle Schlatt notes that night, when they’re having dinner, eyes narrowed a bit. 

Tubbo looks up from his plate. “Craft boy?”

“Wilbur’s little tagalong.” His uncle holds his gaze, and Tubbo shifts nervously.

“And Fundy’s little brother, right?” He points out.

“Yeah, but Fundy’s said the brat idol-worships their asshole brother.” His uncle stares at him for a moment more, then sighs. “Just don’t go giving away anything we do here, capish? We don’t need any more reason to interact with those siblings than we already have.”

“Yeah, okay,” Tubbo agrees.

It’s not like Schlatt said not to hang out with Tommy at all, after all. And Tubbo’s no stranger to bending the rules.

* * *

He spends the night with the light on, flipping through the pages of what’s obviously someone’s journal. Considering the gnomes (which feature on page 34), he’s pretty sure everything in here is legit, which is super exciting. And what’s a bit of sleep compared to the wonders he’s just discovered are real?

(He also fills in the page on gnomes, because there was just a question mark when it came to weaknesses, and Tubbo now knows that throwing them off balance and making them topple into water works well enough. He hopes the author won’t mind.)

_“Deep within the forest are crystals that refract size changing light…”_

_“The traveling carnival that passed through last week had an actual Pegasus that takes payment in carrots…”_

_“From what I’ve uncovered, there are ten categories of Ghosts…”_

_“Tips on how to exercise a bloodthirsty god…”_

Tubbo yawns and flips the page. He’ll probably go to bed after this. He’s got a long time to get through all the written pages, after all. 

_“It’s been a year since Eret left the project, and we haven’t heard from him since. I wonder if he’s discovered something about **Him** that the rest of us don’t know?”_

Tubbo stares at the sentence. Then, with an urgency he hasn’t felt in a long time, flips to the closest written date. 

It’s from six years ago. 

Eret adopted him five years ago.

Suddenly, Tubbo isn’t sleepy anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tommy! 
> 
> Next Up: The Mystery Hacks try for a nice day of fishing, and end up hunting down a lake monster.


	4. Arrival 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fishing trip turns into a monster hunt, and another piece of the puzzle shows up.

“I didn’t think fishing would be so popular,” Tubbo admits, looking out at the mass of people filling up the docks. Overhead, a banner with the words “FISHING SEASON, OPENING DAY” flies above them. 

“You’d be surprised,” Schlatt agrees. “The people of L’Manberg love fishing. Never figured out why they’re so into it myself.” 

Tubbo looks up at his grunkle, surprised. “Then why are we here?”

Grunkle Schlatt shifts awkwardly, looking anywhere but Tubbo. “I dunno. Last family bonding day almost got us arrested, right? So I figured we could do something a little more lowkey. Plus, I’m out of the good beer again, so watching TV just isn’t as appealing.” 

“Oh, okay.” Really, Tubbo’s glad that they’re not doing anything else illegal. But he’s also unsure if that’s Schlatt’s actual motivations, because… “Why are they here then?”

“I had nothing else to do,” Quackity informs him brightly. Niki just smiles and shrugs. “Plus, the more people, the more fish we can catch, right?”

“Exactly!” Schlatt agrees. “And if all else fails, we’ve got more hands to steal fish from other people. Now let’s get to fishing!”

They find an empty place on the docks, and start unloading their rods and bait. Niki, patient as she is, helps Tubbo string his bait on the hook. Schlatt sets the bucket for caught fish down, and Quackity almost knocks it into the water before they’re settled. 

It’s actually kind of peaceful, fishing. Sure, Quackity is telling Grunkle Schlatt jokes and said grunkle is threatening bloody murder at him, which is making him laugh harder, but Tubbo’s also got Niki on the other side of him, telling him stories of her parent’s bakery and how she’d like to open one of her own, and Tubbo thinks he’s going to enjoy today. 

About twenty minutes in, Tubbo feels the line tug. “I think I’ve got something!” He pulls on his rod, feeling the line strain. 

“Well? Reel it in!” Schlatt demands. Tubbo reels as fast as he can, and seconds later, a fish about a foot long goes flying out of the water. 

“You did it!” Niki cheers. She helps Tubbo unhook the fish, and they toss it into the bucket, their first catch of the day. 

His uncle claps him on the back. “We should have that thing tonight, to celebrate. Niki, you can cook fish, right?”

Niki sends him an amused look. “I’m a baker, Mr. Schlatt, not a chef.” 

Schlatt shrugs. “It’s the same thing, basically.” Niki gives an utterly offended huff, clasping her chest dramatically. 

“How dare you-” 

Quackity peers into the bucket. “Guys? The fish is changing colors.”

They’re too busy arguing to hear him.

* * *

Around thirty minutes and six fish later (mostly gotten through honest means), Fundy pulls up in a rather nice boat, looking like he swallowed a lemon. He’s muttering something Tubbo can’t hear, and then waves at them to come aboard.

“Pack it up, kids,” Schlatt says. “We’ll be fishing on the boat from now on.” 

Tubbo’s not sure if that’s what Fundy actually wants, but he dutifully packs up his rod and bait and helps Quackity load the fish onto the boat. 

“You look upset,” Niki notes, once they’re all onboard. Fundy grimaces. 

“What gave it away? Ugh. Fucking Wilbur. Fucking Tommy.” He shakes his head. “We can’t even have a normal fucking day of fishing with Tommy sabotaging the lines and Wilbur being a condescending prick about it. And Tommy insists he didn’t do it but he _always does it_.” 

Tell me you at least stole some fish before you left,” Quackity says. Fundy grins his toothy grin and holds up a bucket. Grunkle Schlatt laughs, and Quackity cheers. Tubbo can’t help but smile a little, but he doesn’t join in because he’s run into Tommy several times now and they’ve really hit it off, so he’s admittedly a little bothered by the idea of Fundy taking fish from him. 

He’s also not totally surprised if Tommy really did sabotage the lines though, because if there’s one thing Tubbo’s learned about his new friend, it’s that he’s a real force for chaos. 

“Here, I’ll take you guys to a better fishing spot for boats. We’re gonna catch all the fish!” And this time everyone cheers, even Niki and Tubbo, as Fundy turns them around and heads in another direction. 

They’re moving alongside the docks when Tubbo notices a large gathering of people on one dock in particular. “Do you know what’s up with that?” He asks Fundy. 

Fundy looks over and frowns. “That wasn’t there when I left, actually.” He pulls them over to get a better look, and Tubbo leans over the side to listen. 

There’s a cat hybrid standing in front of everyone, and what looks like nearly all of the fishermen are listening with rapt attention. “Everyone!” The man says. “I’ve had a vision that the waters aren’t safe today. The Gobblewonker has been spotted near Drywater Island, and ready to snatch up boats and fishing lines! I urge you all to be safe!”

His warning of danger continues, and at the end, the crowd breaks away, murmuring uneasily. Many boats pull into the harbor, their occupants switching to on-land fishing. Some people leave the lake entirely. 

Grunkle Schlatt finishes listening, then turns to the rest of them with a grin. “Gentlemen, Niki, I think fishing will have to wait. We’re getting cameras, and then we’ve got a monster to photograph.” 

“It could be a scam,” Niki points out. “That was Ant, I think. And the Tent’s not exactly known for their honesty.” She catches Tubbo’s confused look, and elaborates. “That man was part of a group called the Tent of Telepathy. Their whole thing is that they scam people into believing they’re psychic.”

“Oh, it’s definitely a scam,” Schlatt agrees. “But those Tent bastards always have a trick up their sleeves to make their scams seem real. So either we photograph this “monster” and use it as a selling point for more visitors to the Shack, or we expose it as a fraud and hurt our rivals reputation. Win-win, I’d say.”

“Monster Hunt! Monster Hunt!” Quackity chants, and Fundy soon joins in.

“Monster Hunt!” Tubbo laughs, because they’ve already got lots of fish, and he’s ready for a more exciting rest of the day. Fundy anchors the boat, and they head to the Shack, grabbing as many cameras as they can. 

Then there’s a ringing sound, and Tubbo’s uncle pulls out his phone, looks at it, and grimaces. “I’ve got a meeting for one of my investments,” he says, looking rather put out. “Looks like I’ll have to sit this one out.” He ruffles Tubbo’s hair and turns to the rest of them. “No coming back until you’ve got enough evidence of that creature to fool a potential idiot moneybag, you hear?”

“You got it!” Quackity gives him a mock salute. Fundy does a thumbs up. 

“Of course,” Niki says indulgently, and Schlatt leaves for the interior of the house. “You guys ready to go?”

“...Yeah.” Maybe it’s dumb, but Tubbo can’t help feeling a little disappointed. His grunkle’s no Eret, but he was looking forward to spending some time with him anyways.

(Eret's in the journal. _Eret_. Why were they in L’Manberg? Did they know Grunkle Schlatt? Why did they never say anything? There's only a few mentions of them in the journal, mostly saying that they were no longer working with the author, but that's more than enough, what if-

 _Not the time for this. Freak out about it again later_.)

Tubbo lets out a little sigh. _Oh well_. At least he’s going to be monster hunting with three awesome people. That’s no small concession. So Tubbo puts on a smile and lets Fundy lead him back towards the boat.

* * *

Drywater Island is a spooky place, jutting up in the middle of the lake, and surrounded by mist. From his spot at the front of the boat, Tubbo frowns at it. “Should I be bothered by the fact that there’s mist on the island when everywhere else is clear, or is that just normal supernatural happenings?” 

“It’s perfectly normal,” Niki assures him. “This island is always misty. It’s why people avoid it, and probably why Ant claimed the monster was around here.” She grins at Fundy. “Remember when we set up that hideout here a few years back?”

Fundy smiles at the memory. “Oh yeah, I do. That was when I accidentally burned down Techno and Wilbur’s shed, and told you I needed to run away, right?” 

She blinks at him innocently. “That was accidental? I didn’t know.” Fundy sticks his tongue out at her. 

“Sounds like you’re a good fit for the Mystery Shack after all,” Tubbo says lightly. “Also, we’re here.” 

Quackity laughs. “That’s our Fundy. The furry of arson.” Fundy pushes him off the boat, and he lands in the water before he can spread his wings out wide enough to catch air, making a strangled noise as he flails around with his wings out like a drowning goose. Niki drops the anchor and they all get off, a disgruntled and wet Quackity catching up to them after a minute. 

Niki pulls out her flashlight. “Alright, stick close everyone. This place might not be as scary as people make it out to be, but I don’t want Tubbo and Quackity getting lost, since they don’t know their way around.” 

She takes the lead, and they wander through the pathways of the island, noticing places where something large has dragged itself around, and following the thing’s trail.

At one point, they come across a small shack that’s been totally demolished, and Fundy makes a strangled noise. “Our hideout! Fuck!” 

Quackity peers over Fundy’s shoulder at it. “This thing sure knows how to take down a building, huh? Not that it looked very sturdy to begin with.”

“We were kids, give us a break.” Niki doesn’t seem as outwardly angry, but she does look saddened at the destroyed hideout. “Still, demolishing it like this just seems unnecessary.”

Fundy shakes his head, still looking irritated. “If we do expose this as a fraud, I’m sure Schlatt would be happy to help sue for damages. Say what you want about the guy, but he’s always up for getting more money out of people.” He sighs. “Come on, let’s just go.” 

Eventually, the tracks lead them to the other side of the island, where the silhouette of what looks clearly like a lake monster comes into view. The four of them duck behind a large log, cameras at the ready, and Tubbo takes a few photos, just in case his uncle wants them. Slowly, they move forwards, and it becomes far more clear. 

“Gotta admit,” Quackity says, as they stand in front of it, “I’m a little disappointed.” 

It’s not a lake monster. It’s a bunch of logs shaped like a lake monster, with beavers chomping happily on top of it. 

“I guess from just a little ways away, it does look like a lake monster,” Niki offers. She elbows Fundy gently. “And hey! We take pictures of this, and we can demand our hideout be fixed, since they trashed it to look like a monster came through.” Fundy grins and whips out his camera. 

They get some good pictures, and Tubbo stops to admire the construction of the thing. In the fog, it could pass as a lake monster from even twenty feet away. The beaver near him stops playing with a rusty chainsaw.

And Tubbo hears something emerge from the water. Something big. 

“Guys? That's the actual lake monster, I think-” is all he manages to get out, before what has to be the actual gobblewonker shoots out of the water, getting them all wet with the wave it makes. There’s a pause as it looks down on them with glowing yellow eyes.

“ _Holy shit_ ,” Quackity whispers, and then Tubbo is being grabbed by Niki and pulled along as the monster chases after them, sliding on land with enough difficulty that it doesn’t catch up to their sprinting, but not enough to really slow it down.

There are trees falling all around them, and Tubbo understands now how Niki and Fundy’s hideout was destroyed. They reach the boat and climb in; Fundy runs to the wheel and Quackity pulls up the anchor, and they’re off, the gobblewonker not far behind, snapping at their tails. Fundy jerks the boat back and forth, narrowly avoiding the creatures jaws.

They end up circling the island, and Niki yells “Beavers!” a second too late, and they only have a second to duck before the entire boat is covered in wood splinters and beavers. Fundy is barely hanging onto the steering wheel as Tubbo and Quackity run around trying to get all the beavers off their boat. 

There’s a moment when all the little animals are gone that things look fine, and then the lake monster is right there. Tubbo hits the deck, and then a second later, everything above the deck save for the steering wheel is gone. Niki yelps and almost topples overboard, but Quackity catches her, wings flapping as hard as they can, and pulls her back up. 

“I’m getting in so much trouble for this,” Fundy mutters, sounding somewhat hysterical. “Where do we even go!?” They’re being shepherded down a narrow straight at this point, with no way to turn around. 

Tubbo takes out the journal and flips through it frantically. “The falls! Go right through, there’s a cave under there!”

“Are you sure?” But there’s nowhere else to go, and so Fundy drives them right under the falls. There’s a moment where everything around him is water, and then they’re toppling out of the boat and onto sand. 

_The journal_. Frantically, Tubbo opens it back up, wondering how he can salvage whatever water damage that might have caused. He finds it perfectly fine, water droplets dripping off the side without ruining the ink. “It’s waterproof,” he breathes, relieved. 

There’s a muffled crunch, and Tubbo looks up to see the gobblewonker flailing about, stuck in the entrance of the cave. He looks around to see Niki, Fundy, and Quackity groaning and sitting up. The four of them look at the struggling monster in silence for a minute.

“Well,” Quackity lets out a breathy laugh. “This’ll get good photos for Schlatt, at least. He takes out another disposable camera and starts snapping pictures. 

“We almost died,” Niki says, sounding exhausted and in awe at the same time. “I was so scared we were gonna die.” 

“But we didn’t!” Fundy offers with an unsteady smile. “Now we just need to figure out how to get out of here.” Silence again, except for the noise of Quackity taking pictures. 

In front of them, a rock hits the head of the monster, and it short-circuits, eyes blinking on and off, red sparks coming off it. Quackity lowers his camera in surprise.

“Guess it’s a scam after all?” Tubbo offers, walking over to the “monster” and examining it more closely, noting the small red lines that dot the exterior. “Hang on, this thing’s made of Redstone! I’ve never seen a Redstone contraption this big!” He didn’t even know it was possible, this is amazing-

Quackity claps him on the shoulder. “Geek out later, big T. Let’s see which one of those Tent assholes just tried to murder us.” He climbs up the side of the machine, and Tubbo and their fellow employees follow. 

There's a hatch on top. Niki readies her camera, and Quackity opens it. 

Inside is a man around Grunkle Schlatt’s age, with green hair and skin that’s tinted slightly green and black. He looks a bit like what Tubbo’s heard creeper hybrid’s look like, but he’s never seen one in person, so he can’t be sure. The man looks up at the sound and the fresh air, notices them, and waves, smiling brightly. “Hello there! Oh, it’s good to see you! And a new child kid!” 

“Sam…” Tubbo looks over at Quackity, and takes note of the somber look on his face. “Sam, do you recognize me right now?” 

Sam squints at him, then smiles even wider. “Quackity! I do know you, of course! Is something wrong?”

“You wrecked my boat and tried to kill us,” Fundy says flatly. “Quack, you know this weirdo?” 

“His name is Sam.” Quackity sounds softer than Tubbo’s ever heard him. “He, ah, wasn’t always like this. I dunno what happened, but a few years back…” He trails off, looking a little wrecked, and clears his throat. “Anyways. Sam, did someone pay you to do this?”

“Yup!” Sam tells him frankly. “Bad said that if I made a lake monster and scared people, he’d give me the Redstone to do it! And, so I did! Because Redstone, you know? I had to! And it worked out so well!”

“It’s an amazing piece of craftsmanship,” Tubbo admits. “I wish I knew how to make something like this.” 

Sam beams at him. “Ooooh, another Redstone fan? I like you. I’m Sam! People say I’m a local cook, but what do they know?”

Tubbo gives him an awkward smile. “Um, hi. I’m Tubbo. It’s nice to meet you.”

“ _Oy!_ ” Fundy interrupts indignantly. “If you’re so good with Redstone, or whatever, then fix my fucking boat! Techno’s gonna have my head for this!” 

Sam turns on him with wide eyes. “Oh, I’d love to! But I only accept payment in Redstone, you know.”

“I’ve got a lot I can spare,” Tubbo offers. Fundy shoots him a grateful look. 

“Then we have a deal! What kind of extra modifications to you want? Flight capabilities? Rocket launchers?” 

Niki coughs lightly. “I’m really glad we’re all getting along. But can you please move your monster? Right now, we’re all a bit stuck in this cave.”

_Oh. Right._

* * *

_“Fundy. Why does our boat have rocket launchers?” Techno asks blankly. “Fundy you’ve had it for two days.”_

_Fundy laughs nervously. “Oh come on, it’s pretty neat, right?” Then he takes note of Tommy, and the fact that their littlest brother looks like Christmas has come early. “Tommy, no.”_

_“TOMMY YES!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Sam really isn't having a good time right now... 
> 
> Next Up: Tommy and Tubbo visit the Tent of Telepathy, and attempt a disk-related heist.


	5. Arrival 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tubbo and Tommy visit the Tent of Telepathy, and embark on a disk-related hiest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is very late. I'm very sorry. 
> 
> Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, and I hope you all enjoy!

It’s about four days after the gobblewonker incident when Tommy and Tubbo commit their first crime together. (And even if Tommy insists it’s not criminal if they’re stealing something back, Tubbo’s been with his uncle long enough to know that there’s still some illegality involved anyways.)

The circumstances are somewhat convoluted, but it goes a bit like this:

After the gobblewonker incident, Grunkle Schlatt posts photos of Sam’s monster, and people flock to the Mystery Shack. The Tent of Telepathy responds with a brand new sale on merch and entrance tickets, and tensions between the two scammers are at an all time high. 

In the middle of this, Schlatt asks Tubbo to “scout out the competition,” and Tubbo decides to ask Tommy to come along. Tommy agrees, but there’s something in his expression that makes Tubbo a bit nervous. 

The tent is a nice soft green, and rather large, a bit like a circus tent. There’s already a nice crowd of people wandering around by the time the two get there, and out front is a strange looking man in a red and black outfit selling tickets. 

“That’s Bad,” Tommy mutters to him as they get in line. “He’s part enderman, since you look like you’ve never seen anything like him before.”

“I haven’t,” Tubbo admits. “I mean, I’ve heard of nether hybrids, but they’re not exactly common.” Everyone knows of the nether, of course. A dimension right beside their own isn’t exactly hidden. But considering how many people died after it was first discovered, it’s generally off limits unless one has a permit. The only time most people go to the nether is to take one of the bullet trains that run through it, as distance can be covered in half the time down there. 

There are stories of a few communities set up down there, but many people think those are just fiction. 

In contrast, Tommy looks surprised. “Really? They’re a bit all over the place here. I mean, Techno’s a piglin hybrid himself.”

“I think that’s just L’Manberg for you.” 

They reach the front of the line, and Bad smiles at them, gaze lingering on Tommy. “Hello there! Two tickets, I presume? Just remember, if you try and start a fight with any of our workers, you _will_ be kicked out. Again.” Tommy just rolls his eyes. Tubbo thinks he understands now why Tommy made that face.

“You’re right, two tickets please.” Tubbo hands Bad the money with his best smile. Maybe coming here with Tommy wasn’t the best idea. (Then again, it might make it more interesting. And it’s better than coming alone. So it probably was the best idea.)

“Of course.” Bad hands Tubbo the tickets. “You know, I don’t think I’ve seen you before. I really do hope you enjoy! We’re the best show around, I’m sure you’ll have a fantastic time.”

“That makes sense. I’m new here after all,” he responds pleasantly, noting that Bad doesn’t realize he’s Schlatt’s nephew. It’s probably for the best. There’s something about Bad that’s familiar though-

_“Bad said that if I made a lake monster and scared people, he’d give me the Redstone to do it!”_

_Oh. That’s it. That’s where he’s heard the name before._

Years of experience let Tubbo keep his friendly smile as they walk away, and he makes an effort not to crush the tickets in his hand, giving one to Tommy. 

“So,” he starts. “You’ve fought the people in here?”

Tommy snorts. “I mean, I’ve fought like, everyone, but yeah. These people more than others. Like Sapnap. Especially Sapnap. He’s such a dickhead.” 

“Ah.” Tubbo pauses, then: “I’ve heard about that guy out front. Bad, I mean. Apparently he took advantage of Quackity’s friend, so. I’m not judging you for it.” 

“Totally not surprised, but cool.” They enter the tent. It’s really lively inside, and there seem to be three main acts going on. There’s the cat hybrid, who’s sitting at a large table with people surrounding him, tarot cards and tea leaves and crystal balls in front of him. There’s a guy with glasses entertaining a slightly larger crowd, muffled gasps coming from the people around him. 

The largest scene is a dark-haired man with a white headband, holding fire in his palms, and then juggling them in front of an awed audience. 

“The one with the future-reading gig is Ant, the so-called psychic is George, and the pyromaniac is Sapnap,” Tommy informs him. “He’s the worst of the lot.” 

“What did he do?” Tubbo asks. Tommy scowls.

“He’s a fucking thief, that’s what he is. He stole my disks! They were a gift from - from - and he stole them from me! And L’Manberg has this stupid finder’s keepers law, so they’re technically his now, which is wrong because they’re _mine_ and he _took them_.”

“Seriously?” Of all the things, Tubbo wasn’t expecting that. Sure, the Tent was a group of phonies. With all the time he spends with his grunkle, he knows how to tell that sort of thing. But just flat out stealing from people was another. “That’s horrible.”

“You’re damn right it is. Why do you think I fight the guy so often?” Despite his biting words, there’s something a bit morose in Tommy’s gaze as they watch Sapnap talk to his audience. Then something seems to occur to Tommy, because he straightens up and turns to Tubbo with a spark he didn’t have seconds ago. “Hang on, you live at the Scam Shack, right? With Schlatt?”

“Mystery Shack, but yeah,” Tubbo confirms. “Like I said, he’s my uncle.”

“It’s totally a Scam Shack, but whatever.”

“I prefer the term Mystery Hack, if you wanna go there. It’s on the sign and all.” Tommy snickers.

“Yeah yeah. Anyways, what I mean is, you’re uncle’s pretty good with the whole “breaking the law” thing. Obviously he has to be, otherwise Will would’ve gotten him already. Would he know anything about sneaking in somewhere and taking something without being seen?”

Tubbo doesn’t even hesitate to answer. “I’d be more surprised if he doesn’t. I can totally ask. You thinking about pulling a heist to get your disks back?”

Tommy grins in confirmation. “You in?”

Sapnap finishes another trick, to thunderous applause. Tubbo thinks again about Sam, and how these people took advantage of him at least once.

“Absolutely. I’ll let you know what Schlatt says.”

* * *

Grunkle Schlatt raises an eyebrow. “A project? With that Tommy kid?”

“Yeah.” Tubbo fidgets nervously. “And you probably know how to pull it off better than anyone else, so I came to you.”

His uncle deliberates. “I dunno. I still don’t get good feelings from that kid. One days he’s just gonna run to Wilbur with all he knows about us. What are you even planning on doing anyways?”

Tubbo takes a deep breath. “Well, we were planning to steal something from Sapnap, the Tent of Telepathy guy-”

“Say no more.” Schlatt has instantly gone from suspicious to proud, and he grins with those wild eyes of his. “I’ll teach you everything I know. And from the Tent? Even better. I don’t suppose I can convince you to drop him at the end for them to catch and make off with whatever it is you’re taking?”

“No!” 

“Fine, fine. Here’s what you do.”

* * *

“Are you sure this is going to work?” Tommy asks, looking over their plan. “I mean, it looks super solid. But I gotta make sure.”

Tubbo nods absentmindedly, flipping through the journal. “It definitely should. I don’t suppose you know where to get a fermented spider eye?” 

Tommy blanches. “A what now?” Tubbo looks up and grins at him. 

“Fermented spider eyes.” He holds up the journal for his friend to see. “There’s this bit in here on different potions, and this one is for invisibility. That can only help, right?” 

Tommy eyes the pages skeptically. “You think those things actually work? I mean, magic potions.” 

“Says the guy who lives in a town with tons of magical creatures,” Tubbo points out. “It can’t hurt to try, right?”

“You’ve got a point there,” Tommy admits. “But if you’re gonna try making potions, you should also make the one’s for night vision. And fire resistance, since it’s Sapnap. Oh, and this one looks like it could help for running away-”

“I feel like we’ll be doing this heist in a year if we try and make all of these at once.”

“Point.”

* * *

And so, four days after the gobblewonker incident, the two of them are ready to go, lurking outside Sapnap and George’s house at their infiltration point, wearing the darkest clothing either of them have. 

“Alright.” Tubbo reaches into his bag and pulls out two small flasks. “Invisibility first. If it’s just like the first batch, it should last for eight minutes, so we take this, and then fire resistance, and then we move as fast as we can.” 

They had only managed to make two potions so far, but at the very least, both of them seemed to work just as well as advertised, if not even better. 

Tommy takes his potion. “Right. Totally unfair that yours actually came out though. I dunno why mine didn’t work.”

“Maybe it’s because I work with Redstone?” Tubbo offers. “I’m used to dealing with slightly off things already.” Tommy seems to accept that as a good enough answer, downing the potion, Tubbo right behind him. Then they take the fire resistance potions.

Then it’s go-time. 

There’s a camera at the front of the house, so they head through the backdoor. Tubbo picks the lock, going through the motions that his uncle drilled and thinks over the tips Quackity gave him, and the door is open. Tommy goes inside first, moving as softly as possible, and he follows.

From all the information they’ve collected, the two most likely places the disks would be were either in Sapnap’s room or in his basement of things. They already agreed to check the basement first, since if they get caught in Sapnap’s room it’s over and they won’t get the chance, so they head downstairs. 

It’s a really hoard of objects. Shiny objects, pet collars(?), knick-knacks, an actual bow and quiver of arrows. Tubbo starts searching through the chests, while Tommy pulls the bow and quiver off the wall, before turning his attention to the tallest stack of strange items.

Tubbo feels inside one of the smaller chests (small as in he could probably carry it), and his fingers brush against a long piece of paper. Curious, he pulls it out. 

At the very top of the paper is a white circle with a small smiley face inside. Below that seems to be a list of some sorts, if Tubbo had to guess, but most of the words scattered across the paper are in some sort of code Tubbo doesn’t know. 

He can sort of make out the names though. Most he doesn’t recognize, but he does see Sapnap and George’s names near the top of the list. 

Near the bottom of the list is Eret’s name. Tubbo’s blood runs cold. 

He looks over at his new friend. “Hey Tommy, you should see-” 

“ _Who the fuck is in our house!?_ ”

“Shit!” Tommy swears some more, as angry footsteps can be heard upstairs. “How the fuck did they know, we gotta go!” He charges up the stairs, all caution thrown to the wind.

“Right.” Tubbo deliberates on whether to just take the list, but ends up taking the entire chest instead. If Tommy’s being as loud as possible, then it really doesn’t matter, after all. And they are still invisible.

Tubbo reaches the top of the stairs, and for a moment, all he can see is George’s disgruntled and slightly confused face, before he puts on a burst of speed and rams right into the man, headbutting his stomach. George falls back slightly, and he uses that moment to slip around the guy and follow Tommy out. 

They’re outside, and then Sapnap is there, actual fire in his hands, nothing like what he was using in the show. “I don’t know who you are, but I can see your heat signature’s, idiots!” The man yells, and then throws the fire somewhere in front of Tubbo.

Tubbo still can’t see Tommy, but he can hear his laughter as the fire slides off him, and he sees Sapnap get thrown backwards. He’s still going, but he can hear the scuffle behind him. He can’t pull Tommy off the guy because he can’t see him, and he doesn’t want to yell because there’s a good chance his voice would be recognized later. He could make a break for it now. 

Tubbo slaps the chest in his hands twice, as loud as he can. That seems to do the trick, because the fighting stops, and someone invisible is moving behind him. With that done, Tubbo goes back to running, confident Tommy is following. 

By the time the potion wears off, they’re nearly at the shack. When the lights are in view, the two of them just collapse on the grass and catch their breath. 

“That was freaking pog,” Tommy gasps, laughing a bit. “I can’t believe we did that.” His face falls. “But we didn’t get the disks. We did all of that for nothing.”

Tubbo winces. “I’m really sorry Tommy.”

“Yeah, whatever. There’s always next time, right?” Despite his words, Tommy still looks crestfallen. He tries to hide it with a grin. “But you totally stole that chest, dude! Let’s see what’s inside.”

“Yeah!” Tubbo opens the chest to pull out the list again. “But first off, there’s this.” He shows Tommy the list. Now that he can see more clearly, he notices that Eret’s name has a line through it. They’re not the only one - at least one of the names is so thoroughly crossed out he has no idea what said name is - but that’s the one that matters to him. “Look it’s - my sibling, the one I told you about? They’re on this.” He points to Eret's name.

“Seriously?” Tommy takes the list and squints at it. “That’s creepy. Sapnap and George and Ant are on here too, look.”

“What do you think it means?” Tubbo wonders. 

Eret was mentioned by the author of the journals as leaving “the project”, whatever that was. Eret’s on this list with the codes and the crossed out names and the weird symbols. What was Eret doing in L’Manberg? 

_Is it connected to why he’s missing?_

And that symbol - Tubbo’s pretty sure he’s seen it somewhere.

“You should come to my place,” Tommy says, handing the list back to him, then beginning to dig through the rest of the stolen chest. “We’ve got tons of books on codes and stuff, cause Wilbur and Fundy both went through a phase, and there was this weird thing with Techno a while back where even Phil was-” He stops, chokes on his words a bit, and starts again. “Anyways, maybe there’s something that could help us crack it. Plus, you should get to meet Techno and Wilbur, since you already know me and Fundy.”

“Really?” Tubbo’s never been invited to a friends house before. There’s something both heartwarming and slightly terrifying at the idea. 

“Yeah. Hell, we could make it a sleepover. You’re super clingy anyways, you’d probably enjoy-” Tommy cuts himself off, eyes wide, then pulls a black disk out of the chest. “Holy shit, holy shit, this is it! This is one of them!” He shoves it in Tubbo’s face, and Tubbo can make out the word “Cat” written in tape on the top. “You got one of them!” 

Tubbo smiles. “Guess it wasn’t all for nothing after all, right?” 

“Hell yes!” Tubbo doesn’t think he’s seen Tommy look this happy before. “Now you definitely gotta come over, so we can listen to it. This is not negotiable.”

“Works for me!” And suddenly Tubbo has the first sleepover in his life to look forward to. 

(Tommy takes the rest of the chest home, while Tubbo keeps the list. And although he planned to go to sleep as soon as he was home, he can’t help but stay awake, looking at it.

It finally strikes him then, where he’s seen the symbol before. 

It’s right next to the bloody warning, in the author’s final pages before they stopped writing.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The reason Schlatt went for the more realistic pictures of the monster and not the ones exposing it as a fake was because Quackity begged him to. (Sam would most likely be the one taking the fall, after all, so Schlatt wouldn't even get to expose his rivals.)
> 
> Also, Sapnap uses the same law Gideon does to take the shack to justify keeping all the stuff he steals, in case you were wondering.
> 
> Next Up: The sleepover, and Techno and Wilbur finally enter the picture.


	6. Arrival 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy and Tubbo have a sleepover, and Tubbo finally meets Tommy and Fundy's brothers. (Featuring: Interesting Dreams.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! The last chapter with "Arrival" in it, I promise! We're moving on after this. Hope you enjoy!

“Gotta admit, it’ll be fun having you over at my place,” Fundy says, as Tubbo prepares to leave with him after work is over, his bag all packed. “Especially since I’m over here so often.”

“You’re my employees, not my residents,” Grunkle Schlatt mutters. “I don’t know why the three of you always invite yourselves inside my actual house.”

“You never kick us out though,” Niki reminds him with a smile, and Tubbo’s uncle grumbles some more. Tubbo gives his uncle one last wave, and the two of them head out. 

“Do you think Wilbur and Techno will mind?” Tubbo asks Fundy softly. Sure, he’s there for Tommy, and he knows Fundy pretty well by now, considering he’s escaped death by Redstone monster with the latter and committed theft with the former, but all he knows about their brothers is that his uncle and Wilbur hate each other, and that Techno scares the police.

“Who cares?” Is Fundy’s answer, accompanied by a shrug. He catches Tubbo’s still-worried expression and adds: “I’m sure Techno won’t mind you at all. And whatever Wilbur thinks, you can just brush off, he’s an ass anyways. Tommy and I like you, and that’s what matters.”

Tubbo would like that to be true. And really, it is. But he would like at least one of their older brothers to tolerate him at worst. Still, he appreciates the effort. “Thanks.”

There’s something he’s been wondering though, so he steals himself and finally asks. “Fundy, if you don’t mind telling me, what happened with you and Wilbur? I mean, working for his sworn enemy is a little extreme. Not that I mind! I was just curious.”

Fundy’s silent for a minute, and Tubbo wonders if he overstepped. Finally, he just sighs. “It’s a long story. I don’t know what Tommy’s told you, but… about three years ago, our dad, Phil, disappeared. After that, suddenly Will never had any time for anyone, started that whole mess with Schlatt, would just be condescending and rude. Eventually we got into a really horrible fight and-” He cuts himself off, looking like he’d said more than he meant to. “Anyways, I figured if he wanted to act like a dick, that was fine, but he couldn’t complain when I got a job with Schlatt.”

“Oh.” Tubbo’s not entirely sure what to say to that. He did know they were missing a family member, but he had no idea it was their dad. “I’m really sorry.”

“Yeah.” And Tubbo starts to think Fundy cares about what Wilbur thinks much more than he lets on. 

They do eventually reach the Craft’s house. It's a nicely sized building, clearly meant for at least four people to live in, and it’s the closest house to that weird van. Tethered outside is a dark colored horse with a bright blue saddle next to them.

“That’s Carl,” Fundy informs him. “Techno’s horse. He’s very protective of him.”

“He’s a really pretty horse,” Tubbo says, “so I guess I can see why.” 

Fundy unlocks the door, grinning at Tubbo before leaning in and yelling “Hey, Tommy! Tubbo’s here!”

Tubbo hears the sound of stomping footsteps, and then Tommy is there, grinning and pulling Tubbo inside. “Great, thanks, leave us alone now, we’re gonna hang out. I’ve got a disk for him to listen to!” 

Fundy rolls his eyes and waves them away. “You two have fun then. I’ve got some coding I wanna finish up anyways.” And with that, he leaves them to it. 

“Alright, we’ll go up to my room, but first you gotta meet Techno and Wilbur,” Tommy says. Then he lowers his voice and adds, “And we’ll get the book on different codes from Techno. He left it out in the living room, I saw it, we can get it.” Tubbo nods, swallows his nerves, and lets Tommy lead him into the kitchen, where his older brothers are both at the table.

Tommy mentioned that Techno was a piglin hybrid, so when Tubbo sees long light pink hair in a braid, darker pink skin, and long bottom tusks, he assumes that’s Techno. The guy is looking at him with a stoic expression that Tubbo can’t decipher, and that’s a little nerve-wracking. 

So then the man next to him must be the infamous Wilbur. He’s wearing a yellow sweater, and a beanie like Quackity over dark curly hair, but what stands out the most to Tubbo are the bags under his eyes, and the way he immediately looks at Tubbo with something akin to suspicion. 

“Guys, this is Tubbo. I told you about him,” Tommy announces. “Tubbo, this is Techno and Wilbur.”

Tubbo gives them a small wave. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Wilbur narrows his eyes at him. “You’re Schlatt’s kid, right? What do you want with Tommy?”

Tubbo’s ready to defend himself, but Tommy beats him to it. “The fuck does that mean? We met ‘cause we were beating up gnomes together, not because of your dumb feud with his uncle. Lay off.” 

“Tubbo?” Techno says. He has a voice. There’s a pause where they all look at him, waiting to see what he says next. He almost looks like he’s listening to something, and then he gives an approximation of a smile. “Mmn. It’s nice to meet you too.” Tubbo holds in his breath of relief. 

Tommy grabs him by the hand and leads him out. “Alright, nice talking to you and all. We’re gonna grab something and go upstairs, see you!” When they’re out of the kitchen, he turns to Tubbo and says, “See? They’re pretty cool.”

“Yeah.” Wilbur clearly doesn’t trust him, but Fundy’s right, there’s nothing Tubbo can do about that. And he was right about Techno too, he seems nice enough. Tommy swipes the book on codes, and they head up to his room, where Tubbo finally pulls the list out of his bag. It looks even more complicated in the bright light. 

“Okay okay, we’ll get started on that, but first things first.” Tommy grins with triumph, and puts the disk in his old jukebox. 

The sound that comes out of it is pretty and nostalgic at the same time. “I like it,” Tubbo finally says, after a while of silence. “It’s really nice.” He looks over at Tommy, and almost startles at the sad look on his friend’s face. 

Tommy notices him looking and covers whatever that was up with bluster. “I know right? It’s obviously really awesome.” Except that Tubbo knows he saw that look. 

_Fundy said it was their dad who went missing, didn’t he?_

Tubbo deliberates asking about that, but decides not to. He was already pushing it with Fundy. Tommy’s the first friend his age he’s ever had, and he doesn’t want to mess that up. 

Eventually, the do get around to working on the list, and Tubbo brings up where he’s seen the symbol before.

“Seriously?” At the very least, Tommy doesn’t look nervous. He actually looks rather excited. Which makes sense, because it isn’t any of his siblings that are on the list. “Did you bring the book with you?”

“Um, no, actually.” Tubbo shifts a bit awkwardly. “I left it back at the shack. I just, I don’t know Wilbur or Techno, and I’m sure they’re totally fine! But I…” 

All he knows about Wilbur is that he and Schlatt are rivals. The book, besides the list, is the biggest clue he has to getting Eret back. He just wants it to stay safe at the moment.

“No worries, I get it,” Tommy assures him. “I love my brothers, obviously but I totally get it.”

Tubbo blinks. “That’s surprisingly mature for you.” Tommy shoves him off the bed. 

“Shut up! I’m plenty mature! The maturest!”

* * *

They don’t crack the code, even though they work on it for a long time. A little annoyed, they decide to take a break, and so they check in on Fundy to see how his coding thing is going. It turns out the guy is really good at it. 

Dinner comes and goes, and then later, when they’re still stumped, Tommy proposes they watch a movie instead, and Tubbo agrees. 

“Maybe we need the journal for this, since it’s got the symbol and stuff,” he suggests, and he’s probably right. And maybe Tubbo should be more patient. 

(But he really misses Eret. He wants them back so bad.)

So they settle down and put in some corny action movie, and about ten minutes in, Techno wanders in the room. “Mind if I join?” He asks them. 

“Sure, go ahead,” Tommy says, “As long as you don’t do your dumb commentary on how impossible some of the stunts are.”

“No promises.” Techno sits down, and maybe Tubbo’s imagining it, but he thinks Tommy’s older brother gives him another long look before turning to the movie. 

A few minutes later, Fundy walks in with more popcorn, and the four of them sit together and watch the film. Techno does in fact make his comments about how wrong the stunts are, and Tommy yells and Fundy throws popcorn at him each time. 

Around halfway, Tubbo spots Wilbur hovering near the door, watching them with some expression that Tubbo can’t quite make out. They do lock eyes though, and Tubbo motions for him to join them.

There’s a long moment where Tubbo thinks he won’t, but then Wilbur slips in and sits next to Techno, who doesn’t even react. Tommy’s eyes go wide and Fundy scoffs a little, and that’s that. 

It’s a pretty good movie, impossible stunts and all.

* * *

They go upstairs, and the list is gone.

It’s just the list, nothing else has been moved. The code book is still there-

“Our writings! They’re all scribbled out!” Tommy holds up the papers they’ve been trying different codes on. Sure enough, they’re all messed up. “What the actual fuck!?” 

“Where did it go? Where did the list go?” Tubbo’s not panicking, he’s not. But his just feels tight and it’s harder to breathe, where’s the list, _where’s Eret-_

“Fucking- I’ll talk to my brothers. One of them probably thought it was funny. I swear to god, they’d better not have-” And then Tubbo is alone in the room, with the missing list, and all he can think of is _where is it where is it-_

So he gets down on his hands and knees and searches. And just as Tommy is coming back upstairs, his fingers close around a tiny slip of paper. 

It’s Eret’s name, part of the list, except it’s torn up, the ‘t’ at the end is gone, and it’s just a tiny piece. 

Tommy throws open the door and storms in, slamming it behind him. “They all say they didn’t do it and we were all watching the movie together but I fucking swear-”

Tubbo’s not paying attention. “Tommy, it’s here. It’s torn up.” He shows him the slip of paper. 

They manage to gather up most of the shreds, but even more of them are blacked out in ink, and some are still missing, and it’s impossible to do anything with now. Tubbo slumps down next to the bed and tries not to scream in frustration.

Tommy sits down next to him. “Hey, Tubbo, it’s okay. I mean, obviously it’s not, but we’ll figure this out. We’ll find Eret. It’s gonna be okay.” 

“Yeah. I know.”

He lets out a long sigh. “Sorry this whole mess happened. I had it all planned out, this was gonna be great, and now it’s all messed up. Fuck, I’m sorry.”

“Really, it’s okay.” Tubbo gives him a weak smile. “Thanks, for trying and helping and everything. And I’ve had an awesome time so far.”

“Really?” 

“Really,” Tubbo promises. 

It’s true. This wasn’t exactly how he planned his first ever sleepover to go, and he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t a little bit devastated, or that he isn’t glad he left the journal at the shack. But he’s still had a good time, and Tommy is a great friend with great brothers. 

They’ll figure it out. And Tubbo can freak out about this when he gets home. This is his first sleepover with his first friend, and he’s determined to enjoy the rest of it.

* * *

When he was younger, Wilbur didn’t dream. Or if he did, he never remembered it. 

Now, after everything, he dreams almost nightly, and can remember each one with the kind of vivid clarity that makes one question whether something was truly a dream. 

It doesn’t help that they’re all nightmares.

It also doesn’t help that they aren’t totally his. Or at least, he’s not the only one in them. 

**“Thank you, Wilbur. That was something I didn’t want them looking at just yet. And really, it would just hinder our efforts.”**

“What even was it?” Wilbur dares to ask. He pushes down the guilt of shredding and destroying something Tommy was working on. _It wasn’t Tommy’s, it was that other boy’s. Schlatt’s kid_. That thought should help, and he’s unnerved when it doesn’t.

The man - thing? - across from him smiles. He’s humanoid, a green on white vest with a lime green tie, an unnerving smile, and a mask over his nose and eyes, one in the shape of a white smiley face. 

**“Nothing actually important,”** Dream admits. **“Some of my deals written down. Just a way for my oldest current followers to feel important, you know? I tell them they can keep track of these things for me, and they eat it up. But I certainly didn’t want it falling into the wrong hands.”**

“Right.” He hates it, how wrong it feels, because the kid was _Schlatt’s_ , so why should he be so bothered? 

Except that little moment, where the kid - Tubbo - caught his eye and gestured for him to sit with them, when his own brothers hadn’t-

 **“You’re not having second thoughts now, are you?”** Dream is so close, too close, and Wilbur tries not to flinch. **“Not when the end goal is so near. Come now. You want your dad back, don’t you? And wouldn’t it be terrible, if they realized one of those crossed out names was yours?”**

Fear and indignation bubble up inside him. “You said no one else would know-!”

 **“Relax, Mr. Composer. I was joking with you.”** Dream’s at his side, hand on his shoulder now, and Wilbur shivers. **“I always keep my deals. And with the favor’s you’re doing me, I’ll certainly keep this one.”**

* * *

And Wilbur wakes up to another day, with Fundy angry at him and Tommy hurting and Techno being concerned. He can already hear Tommy yelling downstairs, as always - and then he doesn’t. 

He dresses quickly and joins them downstairs to find Tommy laughing now instead of yelling, apparently at a joke Tubbo made. Fundy doesn’t acknowledge him - _as if Wilbur was in the wrong for what happened, it was Fundy who vandalized his research_ \- but Tommy and Techno do, Tommy waving for him to join them. 

And Tubbo, Schlatt’s kid, Tommy’s friend, gives him a smile, as though nothing had happened last night, even though his slightly red eyes say otherwise. 

_I’m doing this for them_ , Wilbur reminds himself, just like he has for the past two years, as he forces a smile and grabs a plate. _It’s all for them. They’ll understand someday._

It’s been getting harder to believe, recently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)
> 
> (Writing a trillion year-old or whatever Dreamon is tough. I hope it was alright.)
> 
> Next Up: Schlatt gets a little cursed, and it's up to the Mystery Hacks and co. to fix it.


	7. Curiosity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Schlatt gets a little cursed, and it's up to the Mystery Hacks and co. to help him. The power of violence saves the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so late everyone! Real life has been super hectic. We should be back on schedule soon!

It’s a nice day in L’Manberg, and strangely normal. Which is usually the sign that something strange is about to happen, so maybe they should’ve expected it. 

In any case, Tubbo’s too busy looking for bee-related items at the massive “Swap Meet Sale” to really think about that. Eventually, he spots a very pretty glass bee. 

“Can I get this?” He asks, holding it up for his grunkle to see.

Schlatt narrows his eyes at it. “That does look pretty quality. You’ve got the means to pay for it?”

“I brought some of the money I earned from those pictures of the gobblewonker,” Tubbo confirms. Schlatt nods, and Tubbo happily pays for his new bee, placing it in it’s container and storing it safely in his bag. 

It’s around then that they’re spotted by Quackity, who makes his way over. “Is it just me, or are some of the things here even weirder than last year?” He says as a greeting. 

“Yeah, things seem to be a bit more… unique, this time around,” Schlatt agrees. Then his eyes drift upon a table selling faux gold watches. “Oh, look at that. Those are mob boss quality, right there.” He heads over, Tubbo and Quackity following behind. “So, how much for a watch?”

The person selling them lifts up their head, and Tubbo blinks. She looks like a classic storybook witch, knobby hands and green tinted skin and all. Clearly supernatural. “These are not for _you, Jay Schlatt_. The wind whispers your naaaamme!” As she says this, the wind picks up ominously around them. 

Grunkle Schlatt looks entirely unimpressed. “Right. And I don’t suppose any amount of money is going to change your mind?” _Which means now that he’s been told he can’t have it, he really wants it_ , Tubbo notes. 

“Absolutely not!” The woman crows. 

“Fine, fine.” And so they walk away from the stand. They’re a little ways away when Schlatt grins and shows the two of them the new gold watch on his wrist. “Crone should’ve paid more attention to her own merchandise.” 

Quackity cheers, but Tubbo frowns. “Grunkle Schlatt, don’t you think stealing from a witch might have some bad consequences?” 

“Calling her a witch is a stretch,” Schlatt brushes off. “Nothing’s gonna happen.”

* * *

Tubbo is awoken by a scream the next morning, and is pretty sure something has, in fact, happened. 

Rubbing his eyes, he gets up and makes his way down to his uncle's room, opening the door with a yawn. “Please tell me you didn’t actually get cursed by that witch.” 

Schlatt’s look is a solid mix of sheepish and freaked-out, and he turns to Tubbo, holding up his arms. Rather than hands at the end of them, there are two slightly glowing white circles at the ends of his wrists. Tubbo nearly jumps at the sight, suddenly much more awake.

“So I got a little cursed, and that really was some freaky witch,” his uncle admits. “But hey, at least I got this neat watch.” He holds up the watch. 

The witch appears in it. “ _Ruinous man! Thieving hands find wicked fates!_ ” 

Schlatt shoves a glove on it. “Shut up, you dumb fucking crone!”

Tubbo watches this blankly for a few more seconds, then deliberates their options. “Okay, so we could ask Sam to make you new hands, but that might take a while, and we don’t know how they would end up. I think it would be better to find the witch and ask for your hands back.”

His grunkle groans loudly.

* * *

“Hey Mr. Schlatt, we’re here- oh crap, what happened to your hands!?” Niki gasps and steps back a little, almost knocking over Quackity, who peers over her to see the commotion. 

“So it was a witch?” Quackity looks almost too delighted at this. “Oh, that’s awesome! No hands!” His laughter drowns out Schlatt’s muttered curses, only stopping when Niki slaps his arm. 

“We’re gonna go find the witch that did this,” Tubbo tells them brightly. “From what I can tell, they’re suspected of living in the mountains just outside of town. Are you in?”

Niki still looks a little bemused, but she nods. “I think that would be best. More people to look for her, right?”

“It’ll be a little harder for the shack to run if our employer doesn’t have hands,” Quackity agrees. “I’m in.” 

“What are we doing now?” The look to see Fundy stepping into the shack… with Techno right behind him, for some reason. Quackity backs away from the door, moving faster than Tubbo’s ever seen him go before. “Also, Techno wanted to see where I’ve been working, hope you guys don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” Schlatt mutters. “Not like we’re in a fucking situation at the moment.” He straightens up. “Shack’s closed for the day, sorry. Come on back Monday, if you’re still interested.” 

Techno eyes him oddly. “You have no hands. I’m pretty sure you had hands before.” Fundy, just noticing this, lets out a strangled yelp.

“Yes, _thank you_ for pointing that not-super obvious fact out!” Schlatt growls through his teeth, his smile clearly forced. 

“We’re gonna find the witch who did this and get his hands back,” Tubbo explains. Then, on a bit of a whim: “Want to come?” 

Fundy grins. “This should be funny, if nothing else.” 

“I’ve got nothing else to do with my Friday,” Techno agrees. “Wait, were you even talking to me?”

“Sure!” Niki says, ignoring Quackity’s desperate head shaking.

* * *

“How did you even know where to go?” Techno asks, as the six of them are about to reach their destination. Dark clouds have rolled in, and they’ve already passed through a layer of morning mist, making everything look spookier than it has any right to be.

“Swap Meet pamphlet.” Tubbo holds it up for him to see. “Says she’s the Hand Witch, and that she lives in this mountain. Just had to look at a couple of maps to figure out where this was.” Techno nods with what might be approval, and Tubbo smiles. 

He’s not sure if Wilbur will ever really like him, but he can hopefully win over Fundy and Tommy’s other brother, at the very least. 

“Also, if you don’t mind me asking,” he says. “What’s with the axe?” 

Techno shrugs. “In case the witch says no.”

Tubbo feels safer already. 

“This had better be worth it,” Schlatt mutters. Two flashlights are taped onto the tops of his wrists. They all venture into the cave.

“Creepy cave, Technoblade here, missing hands, today is the worst,” Tubbo hears Quackity mutter, sounding a bit hysterical. When he looks back, he sees that the poor guy’s wings are puffed up and wrapped around him. Fundy is patting his shoulder with an only-slightly sympathetic smile. 

“What happened between you two that he’s so afraid?” Tubbo asks Techno curiously. 

Techno just smiles. “Not telling.” 

Niki shivers. “Hey, whoever tapped my shoulder, could you not do that? It’s really creepy.” 

Schlatt shrugs. “Wasn’t me. I couldn’t if I wanted to.” 

“Oh my god something’s tapping us now,” Quackity squeaks. “I wanna take my shirt off so badly.”

“Why the fuck do you want to take your shirt off!?”

“It’s a coping mechanism, okay!?”

“Everyone shut the fuck up! There are fucking disembodied hands on the walls!” Grunkle Schlatt yells, and they all look up to where his flashlights are pointing. There, on the walls and ceilings, are what might be at least a hundred crawling hands. 

They stop scuttering around and turn to the group. There’s a moment of silence. 

And then the hands drop down on them. And then they’re all around him, and Tubbo is frantically punching and kicking, wishing he’d brought one of those strength potions he’d experimented with yesterday. Vaguely, he can see hands governing Quackity’s wings, pulling on Niki’s hair and Fundy’s ears, covering Grunkle Schlatt’s face. 

Techno seems to be doing the best out of all of them, cleaving hands in half with his axe, to the point where many hands seem to be scared to come near him. “Here,” he says, when they get close to each other, and he tosses Tubbo a knife. “Try this.”

“Thanks!” And so Tubbo resumes swiping at the hands. And then they’re on his ankles, and he’s trying to figure out how to get them off without being overwhelmed by other hands when laughter echoes from above them. 

“Well, isn’t this a touching scene?” The hand witch mocks from her little crawl space about them. Tubbo can visibly see his uncle wincing at the pun. “You seem to be in an all-hands-on-deck sort of situation!”

“Alright, we get it! Enough with the hand puns!” Schlatt snaps. “Stealing is wrong, yada yada. What do I need to do to get my hands back? I have a certain gesture I’d like to share with you.”

“Hmmm.” The witch’s smile grows menacing. “Well, you see, this curse can only be broken…. With a kiss!” 

“It’s not worth it, Mr. Schlatt!” Quackity cries.

“I’m sure we could get Sam to make you new hands,” Fundy offers. 

Schlatt grimaces. “That’s sweet of you, but I like my hands, so I’m willing to make this sacrifice. Tubbo, look away.” 

Tubbo looks away as Schlatt approaches her hand. He hears the kiss, and then Quackity retching. 

“No, no!” The hand witch screeches. A kiss on the liiiiiiips!” 

Schlatt backs up, and now that Tubbo is looking again, he can see disgust written all over his face. “Absolutely not! I don’t need my hands that badly! Fundy, let’s talk to that Sam guy.” 

And then Techno, who has so far been quiet, steps forward. With a single swipe of the axe, the hands surrounding the witch are split clean in half, and the weapon is at her neck. “Schlatt’s hands. Now.”

The witch gulps. “Okay.” She snaps her fingers, and Tubbo’s uncle cries with joy as his hands return to him.

* * *

“That was certainly an experience,” Techno muses, as they climb down the mountain. “If this is what goes on at your job, Fundy, I should visit more often.” 

“If you do, Wilbur’s gonna have a conniption,” Fundy points out.

Techno shrugs. “That’s his problem.” 

“I wouldn’t say it’s always like this…” Niki trails off. Even Schlatt is looking at her skeptically. “Okay, yeah, it is pretty much always like this.” 

“At least I’ve gotten over my fear of Techno!” Quackity chirps.

Techno raises an eyebrow. “Really?”

The winged man gulps. “On second thought…”

Schlatt drifts over to Tubbo, and before Tubbo knows it, his hair is being ruffled. “You did good, brat,” his grunkle mutters to him. “Next time, I’ll show you how to pickpocket from someone who isn’t a creepy witch.” 

And Tubbo can’t help but smile at that. “Thanks, Grunkle Schlatt.” 

He misses Eret so bad it hurts, sometimes. But… he’s having fun here. 

And with everything he’s started to uncover about his sibling, he guilty wonders if that counts as a betrayal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tubbo: I really want Tommy and Fundy's brothers to like me, but I don't know how to go about that.
> 
> Techno, who has heard from the voices that Tubbo's presence here is gonna cause more chaos than L'Manberg's seen in years: Yeah he's pog.
> 
> Next Up: A carnival, a calf, a pet killing arsonist, and time travel, all in one place (but not in one time).


	8. Curiosity 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When tragedy strikes at the carnival, Tubbo and Tommy go for an unorthodox method of solving it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter had no purpose being to hard to write, but here we are. Sorry about the late posting!
> 
> Waring: Temporary pet death.

As strange as the idea of a carnival was when his uncle proposed it, and as precarious as setting it up near a rather steep drop is, Tubbo thinks things are coming along nicely.

As nicely as they can, at least. 

“There she is, Tubbo,” Schlatt says proudly, sweeping his arms out in front of him. “The cheapest fair money can buy. I spared every expense.” As if on cue, one of the Ferris wheel trams brakes, and Tubbo hears Tommy screaming as he falls to the ground next to them.

His friend gets out with a grin. “That was pogchamp! I’m gonna do it again!”

“Like hell you will.” Grunkle Schlatt scoots Tubbo over next to Tommy, and hands them both a stack of papers. “As long as you’re breaking things, you might as well be useful. Slap one of these on anything that looks like a lawsuit.” 

“Sounds super illegal,” Tommy says. 

Tubbo’s uncle shrugs. “When there’s no cops around, anything’s legal. Now move your butts. Get to it! Oy, Niki, Fundy, how's the dunk tank coming?” Tubbo sighs and heads off, Tommy following him. 

“He does realize Wilbur’s probably gonna call the cops again, right? I mean, we all know it,” Tommy mutters, as they put up the signs. 

Tubbo laughs a little. “I think he’s banking on either the cops just not answering Wilbur this time, or that Wilbur will be too busy at the dunk tank to call them. He’s having Niki and Fundy rig it so that pretty much nothing can push him in.” 

“I dunno about that,” Tommy snickers. “He might be underestimating Wilbur’s rage fueled throws.” 

The fair seems to go smoothly, at first. Despite the mishap Tommy had, everything else seems to be running well. Grunkle Schlatt sits in the dunk tank, laughing at everyone who tries and fails to dunk him. One of those people is Wilbur, who’s standing there with a furious expression on his face. 

Just a little ways away from them, Fundy and Niki are watching, amused. They both hold out their hands for high fives as Tubbo and Tommy go past, and the two happily comply. 

“Do you think your brother realizes he’s just giving Schlatt more money?” Tubbo hears Niki say. 

“Well I’m not stopping him,” Fundy replies. “Watching him struggle is too much fun.” Tubbo shakes his head and moves on. 

They meet with Quackity in the spinning barrel rolls, and Techno at the different prize winning games, where they cheer him on as he continues to beat just about every single game, and the people running said games look more and more nervous. Eventually he’s booted out, but at that point he’s already got a mountain of prizes. 

“Here,” he says, and hands Tubbo a bee plushie, and Tommy a strange stuffed animal of indeterminate species. “For the cheering. That was pretty pog.” 

Even the Tent folks are here. Bad and Ant are with someone else that Tubbo hasn’t seen before, someone with what looks like diamonds in their skin, and George and Sapnap are playing games together, with some guy in a purple sweatshirt jacket holding an odd pocketwatch and looking at them, amused. 

“Anything you wanna try next?” Tubbo asks, as they head through the fair with their prizes and snacks. “I mean, we’ve gone through pretty much everything, right?” 

There’s a moment of silence as Tommy looks around presumably for something new to do, and then his face lights up. “Not everything. Check it out.” And he points to a sign that says “Win a Cow!” in bold letters. 

“A cow?” Tubbo tilts his head slightly. “What are you gonna do with a cow?” 

“Keep it as a pet, duh! Techno’s got Carl, why can’t I have a pet?” Tommy runs off towards where the sign is pointing, and Tubbo follows him. 

There’s a man standing in front of a cow pen, and behind him is a bunch of abnormally small cows. “Get your abnormally small cows here!” The man is saying. “And they’re calves, so you can raise ‘em or have ‘em now!”

Tommy bonds up to the stand and looks in awe at the little animals. “Oh, I like this one.” Tubbo looks where he’s pointing, and sees a young calf looking back at Tommy with the biggest doe eyes Tubbo’s ever seen. “I’m calling him Henry, and he’s gonna be mine.” 

“You need to guess his weight first-” The man running the stands starts. Tommy holds up a wad of cash.

“Would this work instead?”

“Absolutely!” The man hands him Henry’s leash. “He’s all yours.”

Tommy cheers, and Tubbo cheers along with him, happy for his friend. Henry is, admittedly, very cute. 

“I wanna take him on all the rides!” Tommy says.

Tubbo winces. “Please don’t. My uncle might actually kill you.” 

“Fine, fine. Be a killjoy.” Tommy pouts dramatically, and Tubbo knows he’s just joking, so he laughs. “Let’s show Techno!” He leads Henry along towards his older brother with a gentleness Tubbo hasn’t seen in him yet. 

They’re about halfway across the fair, and Tommy is making funny comments and petting Henry, and they’re talking about how much exactly Tommy’s brothers are going to have to get to feed him, when the leash is forcefully yanked from Tommy’s hand. 

There’s a moment of stunned silence, and then Sapnap grins, winks, and mutters “Payback’s a bitch, ain’t it?” Before he takes off, dragging Henry along with him. 

“You _shit_! Fucking _Cracknap_ , get back here you dick!” Tommy takes off after him, and Tubbo follows, chasing after Sapnap as he runs away laughing, pulling Henry along. 

It’s a fast paced chase, and Tubbo’s distracted with wondering how the man can move so quickly while pulling a cow, and so it takes him a moment too long to realize where they are. “Tommy, the cliff-!” 

Ahead of them, Sapnap skids to a stop. The drop is right in front of him. 

“Nowhere to run now!” Tommy yells, as they catch up. “Give Henry back!”

Sapnap looks down, and then back up at them. “No, I don’t think so. This is an easy drop!” And he slides down the small cliff, pulling Henry along with him, the poor calf mooing desperately. They run to the edge and look over. 

Sapnap seems fine, looking at the cow with an almost surprised expression. Henry isn’t moving. 

Tommy lets out a strangled scream and moves to follow after him. 

And then Techno shows up.

* * *

Inexplicably, the fair is still going on. Everyone still seems to be enjoying themselves, as though a small animal wasn’t just murdered close by. Everyone from the Tent is gone, because Sapnap was an unconscious and bloody mess by the time Techno was done with him. When he’d woken up, he’d said that he hadn’t meant to kill Henry, just give Tommy a scare. He actually looked pretty down about it. Schlatt had booted them out of the fair anyways, with a coldness in his eyes that Tubbo hasn’t seen before. 

Henry is still dead. And Tommy is devastated. 

And so Tubbo is frantically flipping through the journal, because he’s certain he’s seen something on time travel before, and if there was any way they could change the day up, he’d take it. 

_There. And it looks familiar._ “Tommy.” He taps his friend softly on the shoulder. “I think there might be a way to fix what happened.” Tommy looks at him skeptically, and so Tubbo shows him the journal. 

On the page is a drawing of a pocketwatch, with instructions on how it’s used, although upon closer look, they seem to be just guesses. There’s mention of what might be three time travelers running closeby, before using the watch to disappear. 

Tommy looks back up at Tubbo, a spark of hope returning to his eyes. “You think?”

Tubbo nods. “I do. And it seems familiar, doesn’t it? Like we’ve seen it already today.” 

Tommy scans the carnival with fierce determination. His eyes rest on one of the figures. “Him.” Tubbo looks where he’s pointing, and there is the man with the purple jacket. Dangling from a jean pocket is the same pocketwatch. 

Tubbo gets to his feet. “Just give me a minute,” he promises. “My uncle’s taught me how to pickpocket, and I didn't think I was gonna use it, but this is a worthy cause. And if it’s not the same, we can just set it down somewhere and make it look like he dropped it.”

“You got this!” Tommy encourages. Tubbo takes a deep breath, subduing his nerves. _This is for Tommy_. 

He manages to swipe it on his first go, even though his heart is pounding. Then he circles around and taps Tommy on the shoulder from behind. 

Tommy jumps. “What the fuck do you- oh. You’ve got it?” Tubbo holds up the watch, and Tommy looks at it closely. “It’s a perfect match. We did it!” A shaky breath. “We’re gonna fix this. We’re actually gonna do it.” 

“We should figure out the plan first,” Tubbo thinks aloud. “What if we drag Techno with us when we go get Henry? That way when Sapnap tries to take him, he’s already got a bodyguard?”

“That should work,” Tommy agrees. “Let’s just hope these instructions are accurate, because it would really suck if they weren’t.”

* * *

If the fact that the Tent was back at the fair wasn’t enough of an indicator that they really were back in time, then the height of the sun in the sky certainly was. 

For a moment, Tubbo and Tommy just stand there, prizes in hand, looking around at the cheerful festival. 

Then Tommy turns to him and grins. “To Techno?”

“To Techno,” Tubbo agrees. They run off to find Tommy’s brother. He gives them a curious look as they approach him. 

Tommy wastes no time. “Techno! I’m gonna win Henry, but Sapnap’s gonna try and steal and kill him! You’ve gotta come with us and protect him!”

Tubbo winces, thinking Tommy came on too strong, but Techno looks contemplative. “...Right. I’ll come along then. Should be interesting, at least. Also, who is Henry?”

“My cow! Or, he’s gonna be my cow in a few minutes.” Tommy rushes both of them along towards the stand and the pen. 

Tubbo offers Techno an apologetic look. “Thanks for coming,” he says. “I know this probably seems really weird.”

Techno just shrugs. “Not really. I’ve seen weirder.” Ahead of them, Tommy has already reached the cows. They watch as the man leads Henry over to him once again. “Is Tommy crying?”

Tubbo smiles softly and fingers the pocketwatch. “It’s a long story.” 

Sapnap does try to accost them and steal Henry as they’re walking away, and Techno crushes his arm under his grib. “Don’t even think about it.” The words are said lightly, but the threat is obvious. 

Sapnap gives a casual half-shrug and pulls away. “Okay, okay. Jeez.” 

The sound of arguing alerts them to the position of Wilbur and Fundy, who are yelling at each other just a ways away from the dunk tank. Tommy quickly wipes his eyes. Wilbur sees them first, and he opens his mouth, but no words come out. He just looks at Henry blankly. Fundy follows his eyes and blinks at them.

“We’ve got a new pet now,” Techno says, by way of greeting. “I’ll expand the fences to accommodate him.”

“What - that’s a cow, Techno.” Wilbur looks a little affronted. “Do we even have enough to take care of a cow? You can’t keep bringing farm animals home.”

Tommy bristles. “Hey, he’s mine, not Techno’s! And his name is Henry, so write that down in your books!” 

“Let’s keep him,” says Fundy, although Tubbo assumes it’s more about pissing Wilbur off than caring whether Henry stays or not. 

This is obviously a family conversation. Tubbo takes the chance to quietly slip away.

* * *

Tommy catches up to him an hour later, grinning. Tubbo perks up. “I assume it went well?”

“Yup!” Tommy flops down next to him. “We can keep Henry! I just have to help take care of him, which isn’t a problem anyways, because I want to do that. And no one can argue if Wilbur or Fundy decide to get a pet too at some point.”

“Would they?” Tubbo wonders.

Tommy shrugs. “I dunno, maybe. Fundy seemed interested. Wilbur just kinda scowled. Said it was a cheap compens - con-something. Whatever. You know what I mean.”

“Yeah.” There’s something warm settling in Tubbo’s chest as he looks at the sky, still lighter than when they travelled back in time. 

Tommy elbows him lightly. “Seriously though… thanks Tubbo. I dunno what would’ve happened if it weren’t for you. Or, well I do, and that’s that Henry would be - would be gone.” His voice cracks slightly at the last word. “So, thanks a lot, man. I mean it. You’re the coolest friend.”

Tubbo almost chokes on air. There’s a warmth behind his eyes, but he won’t let the tears fall. Even though he really wants to. “I. Um. Of course, it’s nothing. Just what any friend would do.” 

_Is this what it’s like to have a best friend? Is this what he’s always been missing and wishing for?_

Tommy huffs. “It’s not nothing, geez! You literally time traveled for me! Just learn to take a compliment.” 

“Yeah, sure. Okay.” There’s a moment where neither of them speak, and it’s a comfortable silence. Tubbo wipes away the tears, and hopes Tommy doesn’t notice. 

“ _Hey! You two!_ ” He jerks up at the sound of the voice. Storming towards them is the purple man who had the watch, looking majorly ticked off. 

“Uh oh.” Tubbo pulls out the watch. “We should give it back now.”

“What? No! What if he gets even more mad and tries to erase our existences or something?” Tommy makes a grab for it, just as the man reaches them, and for a moment, all three of them are touching the watch. 

Then there’s a flash of color.

* * *

Tubbo hits the hay hard, trying to shake out the ringing in his head before looking around. He’s on a small bundle of hay, the people around him dressed in old fashioned clothing, and they’re looking at the three of them like they’ve seen the devil.

Tommy’s openly gaping, but hoodie-man’s panicked expression matches just how Tubbo feels. He gives the past folk a small but awkward wave, and then turns to the others. “Okay, not here, let’s go.” 

“What are these spirits??” Someone yells, and with a bit more haste in their movements, the three are off again. 

They’re in a small village now, where the villagers are waving torches and pitchforks, and a cat hybrid looks like he’s being sentenced to death as a young boy cries out in terror. Hoodie-man winces. 

Tommy squints at the villagers. “Hey, doesn’t that kid look a bit like you? Freaky.”

Tubbo shrugs. “I don’t see it.”

* * *

Another flash, and they’re surrounded by what seem like prehistoric plants. There’s only half a second to be awed, because then a T-fucking-Rex is in their face, and all three of them are screaming and running.

* * *

Another flash. They’re surrounded by destroyed buildings and screaming people firing laser guns. Somewhere behind them, a giant floating baby laughs maniacally as he zaps people and things into oblivion. 

“This future seems fun,” Tommy comments. 

“You say that now,” Hoodie-man says dryly.

* * *

Another flash, and they’re in the woods, in the snow. Tubbo winces. “The watch is getting hotter!”

“Let me have it. I know how to fix this,” Hoodie-man insists. 

“No way!” Tommy snaps. “You’re just gonna leave us here!” 

“I promise I won’t.” The man rubs his temples in frustration. “Look. This is sensitive equipment. I’m surprised you kids figured out how to use it at all. And yeah, I’m peeved that you took it from me. But I’m not going to leave you stranded here for that. I’m not an asshole, or a monster. Just let me fix this.”

Tommy is shaking his head, but Tubbo can barely hold the time device due to the heat, so he grabs Tommy’s arm with one hand and hands over the device with the other, making sure to hold onto the chain. 

Hoodie-man tinkers with the device, muttering what seem like the instructions to himself. Then he puts a hand on each of their shoulders. Another flash.

(None of them see the confused man watching from right behind them.)

* * *

They’re back at the carnival. Everything is where they left it, and the sun is still high in the sky. They’re in the timeline where Henry is alive. 

The man steps back, and lets out a long sigh. “Look, I get it, okay? I heard what happened, the first time. I’m really sorry. But you can’t steal things like this, alright? Things could have gone really wrong.” 

“We’re really sorry,” Tubbo says softly. 

“Well, I’m not sorry. We saved Henry,” Tommy mutters. Tubbo elbows him, and he lets out a small cough. “But we shouldn’t have stolen, I guess. Sorry about that. So! You’re a time traveler? What’s your name? What time are you from?” 

“That’s all I ask for.” Hoodie lets out a little laugh. “My name’s Karl. I’m from a pretty long time into the future, as a matter of fact, although we might have just created a couple anomalies, so going back right now might not be the best bet for me…” He trails off as two strangely armored men appear with the same flash that indicates time travel. “Oh honk. Yeah, I should go. I’ll clear those anomalies up now, that should be enough.” He gives them both a wink. “Things are gonna be alright, okay? You’ll get through this.” And with that, there’s a flash and he’s gone. The men shout angrily, and follow, but not before one of them shoots the dunk take and splashes Schlatt, to the many cheers of those around them. 

“So,” Tommy finally says. “That was a thing that happened.”

“I say we worry about it tomorrow,” Tubbo offers. “The carnival is still going. We’ve got some more time.”

“Heh. Yeah.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time traveler Karl! After Tales of the SMP, it just had to be him.
> 
> I did contemplate having the duo fail and try again and again like Dipper had to in the show, but that would mean Tommy would have to watch Henry die over and over, and I just couldn't do something like that to him. This early on, at least. 
> 
> Next Up: Tubbo and Tommy investigate the true founder of L'Manberg.


	9. Curiosity 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes the real mystery is the friendship you deepen along the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a little while, sorry! How are you all feeling about those streams, huh?

“Hey Niki?”

“Yeah?” Niki looks over at him as the three of them head into town. 

Tubbo frowns. “Doesn’t Grunkle Schlatt usually get his supplies by himself? Why does he need us to do it today?” His uncle had been acting weirder than usual, sinking into the comfiest chair in front of the TV and constantly groaning and cussing. 

Niki laughs a little. “It’s Pioneer Day, where the town celebrates the day it was founded by dressing up like it’s the 1800’s. Schlatt hates all the roleplaying and cosplaying, so he always gets pretty moody.” They reach the edge of town, and she waves a hand towards the buildings. “See?”

She’s right. Everyone is dressed in old clothing, and riding in wagons. There’s red, blue, and yellow flags strung up all over, and the buildings are dressed up to look much older than they are.

“That’s impressive! And pretty cool,” Tubbo admits. “Where did everyone get the wagons and horses though?”

Niki shrugs. “That’s one of the great mysteries, honestly.” 

There are all sorts of activities going on, like candle dipping, “gold mining” for kids, and… Tubbo squints. “Is that guy getting married to a woodpecker?”

“I’m not sure I really want to know,” Niki admits. They head to the crafts store and stock up, and it’s only a little tricker than usual (the cashier only accepts “old-timey” words). They end up walking out laughing together. 

Niki puts a hand on his shoulder and grins at him. “Hey. I can get all this stuff back to the shack, if you want to keep looking around.”

“Are you sure?” Tubbo asks. “I mean, you should get to enjoy it too.”

“I’ve lived here all my life. I’ve been to pioneer day plenty of times,” Niki assures him. “I can get this all in order. Go have fun, alright?” 

“Alright then! Thanks!” Tubbo parts from Niki with a smile, heading further into town. After checking out several of the different attractions, he’s thinking about heading back to the shack when he spots a group of familiar faces.

“Tommy, Fundy, Techno!” Tubbo runs over to the brothers, and is greeted by a wide smile from Tommy and a hair ruffle from Fundy.

“Hey you. You sound so excited, we literally saw you yesterday,” Tommy jokes. “God, you’re so clingy.”

Tubbo shrugs that off with a smile. “I’ll take that as a compliment.” Tommy rolls his eyes, and Techno coughs into his hand. 

“Enjoying pioneer day?” Fundy asks. “This is your first time here, after all.” 

“I guess so. It’s really nice.” Tubbo shrugs a little. 

Tommy elbows him. “But a bit boring, yeah? No worries, I get it. Here, I’ll show you something cooler. And in theme with the day, too.” He grabs Tubbo by the arm and starts pulling him away. “I’ll catch you guys later!” 

“Have fun,” Techno calls back, looking bemused. Fundy waves them off with a dry smile. 

“Where are we going?” Tubbo asks, as Tommy leads him out of town. 

“Hold your fucking horses. You’ll see.” They head through the forest, and towards the lake. It’s empty, at the moment, since everyone is in town, and the two of them walk along the sand in comfortable silence. 

Eventually, Tommy brings him to a small cave with a strange button in the center, and a light above the button that’s always shifting colors. 

“What is this?” Tubbo asks. It almost seems familiar.

Tommy looks at the button. “Well, a few years back, before Phil went missing and everything- well. Wilbur took me here to show me this thing. Apparently no one knows the founder of L'Manberg, but he left clues like these all over the place for people to find, and this is the first one.” He clears his throat slightly. “It’s just, it fits with today, yeah? With pioneer day and all. And it was something Will did before he got all weird.”

It’s a little hard to imagine the Wilbur Tubbo’s met a few times being interested in this, which saddens him a little, because obviously things used to be different. Still, there’s something familiar about this place…

“Oh, that’s right!” He pulls out the journal. “There was something in here about that.” He flips to the page, where the color green is circled, with question marks around it. “Something about a civil war as well?”

Tommy shrugs. “Yeah, apparently the reason no one knows the founder is because the whole town got into this massive fight over decorations and the whole era was wiped from history. I dunno, it’s weird.”

The light above the button turns green, and Tommy presses it. From above the light, a small dusty green envelope shoots out, floating down to rest at Tommy’s feet. Looking excited, he picks it up and opens it, frowning at the very old note inside.

“It’s the letter ‘S’? What does that even mean?”

Tubbo peers at it curiously. “Maybe it’s a letter hunt? Where you have to collect all the letters to progress forward?”

“Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense!” Tommy flips over the note. On the back is, in small scribbles, “ _L’Manberg Library, second basement_.” 

“Guess that’s where we go next,” Tubbo says. 

“Yeah, but I didn’t know the library even had a second basement.” Tommy pockets the note. “Alright, let’s head on over!” 

It takes them a little time to get back, but the small holiday is still going strong. The L’Manberg Library is cheerful and cozy, with a nice fireplace by the back, near which Sam seems to be resting, an unopened book in his hands. 

Tommy goes to talk to one of the librarians, whom he clearly knows, and Tubbo drifts over to the creeper hybrid. “Hello? Sam?”

Sam jerks up, looking away from the book he’s holding. “Oh, hello! What can I do for you, new boy?”

“New - um, do you remember me?”

“Nope!” 

Tubbo winces. “Um, I was with Quackity that one time, remember? With the - the gobblewonker?” He lowers his voice a bit. “Your Redstone monster. I thought it was really cool? And gave you Redstone to work on Fundy’s boat?”

Sam squints back at him, face uncomfortably close for a moment. Then he pulls back suddenly, a wide smile on his face. “Yes! Yes, I remember you. A fellow Redstone fan! It’s good to see you again! Do you have any projects you’re working on?” 

Tubbo finds a smile slip onto his face at the mention of his hobby. “Actually yeah, a little one. I’m-”

“Ugh, she’s no help at all! Says there’s no such thing as a second basement! Fucking liar, I’m sure.” Tommy stomps over to them. “Oh, who’s this?”

“Hello! My name’s Sam,” Sam says. “What’s this about the second basement?”

“We’re looking for something in the library’s second basement,” Tubbo admits. “Do you know how to get in?” 

“Is your uncle a monkey?” Sam asks back.

“Um, he’s a ram hybrid, actually-”

“Then yeah, I know how to get in! Follow me.” Sam gets to his feet and walks off, Tubbo and Tommy rushing to keep up with him and he heads down an aisle of books and towards a back room. 

“Do you know this guy?” Tommy hisses to him.

“It’s a long story,” Tubbo mutters back. The three of them get into an elevator, and Sam presses a part of the metal, which suddenly glows red, and then they’re heading downwards. Tubbo gives Tommy a shaky smile, and gets a thumbs up in return. 

The elevator doors open up to a long, dark, musty hallway, where a deep groan comes from the other end. Tubbo backs up nervously.

Tommy steps out, looking excited. “Alright, this is the place! Let’s get that letter.” His words echo around the hallway. Cautiously, Tubbo and Sam step out behind them. 

And then, coming into the dim light, is a creature Tubbo has never seen before. It’s dark grey, with a massive face, a long dark nose, and two giant grey horns on the sides of its head. It looks at them, makes a low rumbling noise, and paws the ground with one of it’s forelegs. 

Then it charges. 

Tubbo turns back to the elevator, but it isn’t there anymore. Tommy screams “Run!” And it’s all Tubbo can do to keep up as the three of them sprint down the hallway, on and on and on and on… 

Tubbo looks back at the creature following them, and notices a flash of familiar green. “There’s something on one of its horns!” He yells. “It looks like the button color!” 

“O-Okay! But how… how do we get it?” Tommy huffs, seeming out of breath. 

Tubbo looks back again. The creature is large, but upon closer inspection, it doesn’t fill the whole hallway. “Try pressing up against the wall! Hurry!”

The three of them slam into the sides of the walls, and the creature barrels right past them, hitting the elevator that wasn’t there a second ago with a harsh clang, and stumbling onto its hind legs, totally dazed. Tubbo reaches over and plucks the old green envelope from where it’s tied to the thing’s horn, and the three of them dash into the elevator, slamming the door shut behind them, and stopping to catch their breath.

“That was fun,” Sam finally says, sounding chipper. 

“Yeah, it was pretty cool.” Tommy leans over to Tubbo. “Was that thing in the journal?”

“I don’t think so.” At least, he can’t remember seeing it there. “I’ll check later.” For now, he opens the envelope. Inside is the letter ‘C’, and on the back are the words “ _L’Manberg History Museum, exhibit 17_." 

The doors to the elevator open, and they walk out. “How many more of these do you think there are?” Tommy mutters. Tubbo shrugs.

* * *

Thankfully, the next clue is rather easy, and not life threatening. Exhibit 17 is a group of ancient bulls-eyes, with the only problem being that they’re currently put away in storage. Tommy causes a bit of a distraction, and Tubbo takes the moment to slip into the storage area, and sure enough, there’s another old envelope hidden deep in the center of one of the bulls-eyes. He’s out before anyone notices, and the two exit the museum together. 

“We make a pretty good team, don’t we?” Tommy muses, opening up the note. “‘A’. And this has us going to the gravestone of someone named Grian, in the cemetery.” 

Tubbo frowns. “I dunno if I’m up for grave digging. That’s a little much.”

Tommy grimaces and nods, pocketing the note. “Let’s just check it out, yeah?” Tubbo agrees, and they head to the cemetery together, Tommy leading the way. 

There are rows and rows of gravestones, dating back to the 1800s, when the town was founded. Most of the plot is regular grass, but there’s a small section that is instead some ugly grey substance. Curious, Tubbo goes to explore the names there. 

It’s just his luck. “I found Grian!” He calls out. “He’s over here, in the weird stuff.” 

“Really? Ew.” Tommy makes his way over. This stuff is just weird. At least there’s some grass right under the - hang on.” He gets down on his knees, examining the small bit of grass poking out from under the stone. He slides his fingers under the tiny hole, and pulls out another green envelope. “Here we go!”

There’s an ‘R’ on it. There’s nothing on the back. 

“Scar?” Tubbo wonders. “Was that the mayor’s name? Is there any way to check that?” 

Tommy’s eyes narrow in thought. “I think we have a book on that at home, actually. This is so pog. We totally just solved the mystery.”

“Let’s wait until we confirm it first,” Tubbo reminds him dryly, and gets a punch in the side and a laugh for his troubles.

* * *

The two enter Tommy’s house, and Tubbo follows his friend up the stairs, stopping in front of a closed door. Tommy hesitates, an unusually nervous look on his face, before he raps on the door. “Oy, Wilbur, you in there? We need your weird history book!” Tommy pauses, and this time the look on his face is more like hope. “We - We think we solved the mystery! You know, of the mayor, and that button you showed me.” 

There’s a long moment where Tubbo thinks Wilbur won’t even respond. Then he hears muffled footsteps, and the door slowly creaks open. 

Wilbur peers down at them. Maybe Tubbo’s imagining it, but the eyebags seem worse than before. He looks blankly at his brother, sends Tubbo a conflicted glance, then lets them inside his room. “Sure. I’ll grab it.”

It’s an utter mess. There are papers strewn about all across the floor, books in utter disarray. The only thing that looks clearly taken care of is the well used guitar on it’s stand. Next to him, Tommy gapes at the room as Wilbur rummages for the book they’re looking for. 

“When did your room get this bad?” Tubbo’s friend asks. 

“It’s not - it’s fine. I just don’t have time to clean it. That’s all. Aha.” Wilbur pulls out the book and sets it on his desk. “You think you solved the founder mystery, you said?”

“Yeah. Is there anyone named Scar in this book? ‘Cause that’s what the clues all said.” Wilbur looks contemplative, and flips through the pages. Tommy leans over his shoulder slightly. 

Wilbur stops on one of the pages. Taps the picture on it. The caption reads “ _Scar Goodman_ ”. “He was one of the first people to live in L’Manberg,” Wilbur tells them. “And you’re sure he’s the guy?” 

“We found all the clues.” Tubbo hands Wilbur the notes, and Wilbur looks over them.

“It’s cool, right?” There’s still that mix of hesitation and hope in Tommy’s voice. “Right? You showed me this a while back, and I just thought - we figured it out! That’s - you think that’s cool, right?” 

Wilbur blinks. Then he smiles. “I do. That’s really cool of you, Tommy.” 

This is the first time Tubbo has ever seen Wilbur smile. By the way Tommy lights up like a Christmas tree at the sight, he wonders, a bit sadly, if it’s the first time in a while that Tommy has seen his brother smile as well.

He feels a bit awkward at this point, like he’s intruding on something he really shouldn’t be seeing, as it’s not his place. He wonders if he should leave.

“Yeah, it is cool of us, isn’t it? We’re so awesome.” Tommy wraps an arm around Tubbo, cutting off that train of thought. “We’re like a mystery duo, or something.”

Wilbur winces. “Tommy, please never say that again.”

“Why not? I thought it was cool.”

In spite of the fact that Tubbo still feels out of place, he can’t help but laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup, _GoodTimesWithScar_ from Hermitcraft was the original mayor of this au, and the hermits were the original settlers (post Village that went Mad, as everyone there was wiped out). How did they create all those strange inventions and endless hallways in the 1800s? That's still a mystery. :)
> 
> Next Up: Size altering crystals, and an unusual new friend.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, and I hope you liked it! Please review, let me know what you think!


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